The Aftermath
by erinadoumo
Summary: Story continues from end of Corpse Party: Blood Covered. The Aftermath tells of how the survivors of Heavenly Host deal with the lost of their friends. CH13: [Ayumi: Y-your sister... Ah, I-I see..]CH14: [Yoshiki: For making her cry... Guess I deserved it.] (Yoshiki x Ayumi) (Satoshi x Naomi) Hi guys, I re-uploaded CH13 as I realized I previously uploaded a draft version.
1. Chapter 1

Author  
This scene carries on from the last scene of Corpse Party: Blood Covered where Naomi cried about Seiko, asking Satoshi if Seiko was real. Do note I've written this with the game format for easy reading. Enjoy~ :D

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH: CHAPTER 1 - START]**

Naomi  
[She really did existed, didn't she? *sniff*  
She really did spend all those time with us, right?]

Satoshi  
[She did. She was real. Naomi.]

Naomi  
[*sobs* Ms. Yui…and the others, too…  
I can't stand the thought that I'll never see them again!  
*sob* Just one last time…  
I just want to talk to Seiko…one last time!]

Satoshi  
[…I know you do…]

Naomi  
[*whimpers* Seiko…!]

Satoshi slowly moved toward her and gently put his arms around Naomi.  
He surprised her a little when she trembled at his touch.

Satoshi  
[Naomi… Hush now… Naomi...]

The sound of Satoshi's gentle whisper seem to calm Naomi down a little.  
All of a sudden, they were both aware of their embrace. Naomi blushed  
brightly and tried to gently squeeze out of the embrace, but Satoshi's arms  
refused to budge, surprising Naomi a little. Naomi began to smile a little  
as she felt the wind dry up her tears. Satoshi could feel the gentle  
wind blow against him too, and suddenly, everything around him quietens  
down and all he could hear was the sound of their heartbeats.

Satoshi and Naomi  
[...*toki* *toki*]

Their eyes were locked and he could see the sweet blush appearing on her cheeks  
as he felt himself flush. He could feel them leaning towards each other.  
Their lips met. The kiss lasted for a while until Satoshi reluctantly parted  
from her lips.

Satoshi  
[… *blush*]

Naomi smiled shyly for a few seconds then all of a sudden her expression  
changed. She looked away but Satoshi could see that her eyes were filled  
with sadness, her head hung low.

Naomi  
[It's…no good.]

Satoshi  
[What?]

Naomi  
[It's no good… I can't do this.]

Satoshi  
[Huh? W-why not?]

The ten second of silence was the most painful wait. As she began to speak,  
he could see her lips quivering and for some reason, he felt his heart being  
squeezed.

Naomi  
[I-I… I don't… I don't deserve this.]

Satoshi  
[…]

Naomi  
[I don't deserve to be happy… Not after what Sei-]

The drop dead silence was overwhelming. The gentle breeze just now  
suddenly seemed so cold. There's no way he was going to let her go after  
what they had been through in that hellish place. He reached out towards  
her but she shrugged him away.

Satoshi  
[Naomi…]

Naomi  
[I know Seiko forgave me…  
*whimpers* B-but even if she did…  
*cries* I don't think I can live happily knowing she died because of me…!]

He watched her tears rolled down her depressingly beautiful cheeks  
and he tried to wipe them, but she brushed his hand away.

Naomi  
[..Stop, Satoshi! You know I can't…]

Satoshi  
[No, I don't, Naomi. I think Seiko would want you to be happy-]

Naomi  
[…But I can't live with that!]

Satoshi  
[…]

Naomi  
[I…I just can't be happy! I musn't be… I don't deserve it!]

A rush of anger and desperation filled within Satoshi  
as he slapped her across her face.

Naomi  
[!]

Satoshi  
[Don't you insult Shinohara!  
She died loving you, wanting you to live happily,  
wanting you to live her share of happiness!  
She wouldn't want to become an excuse for your unhappiness!]

Naomi  
[…]

Satoshi shocked even himself for what he had done.  
He saw the red glowing on her right cheek and felt the  
stinging pain on his right palm, and realize he must have  
hit her a little too hard.

Satoshi  
[I-I-I'm so sorry…!]

Naomi  
[*wails* But I'm so afraid I'll forget her!]

Satoshi  
[Naomi…]

Naomi  
[What if I get too happy and I forget her?  
No one in this world remembers her anymore…  
Not even her own family!  
W-what…what if I get too caught up in my happiness and I forget about her?]

He pulled her into his arms as she cried with abandonment and squeezed a little.  
His heart ached.

Satoshi  
[I'll remind you.]

Naomi  
[…!]

Satoshi  
[I'll never forget her.  
I'm sure Yuka, Shinozaki and Yoshiki will not forget her either…  
She'll always be in our heart…  
When we're happy, we'll remember Seiko  
and thank her with all our hearts for what she has done…  
Isn't that a better way to remember her?]

He felt her arms squeeze around him while she cried,  
as if it was draining all her unhappiness away.  
Satoshi could no longer fight back his tears.

Satoshi  
_I, too, hope that I will never forget  
Ms. Yui, Suzumoto, Morishige and Shinohara…  
Our dear friends who were swallowed by that  
forsaken place. Our only comfort was the  
warmth of our embrace._

* * *

Ayumi sat across the empty classroom where they usually have their music lessons  
and recalled what happened before Satoshi ran off to meet Naomi.  
She stared at the grand piano in front of the room as the ache started again.

**[FLASHBACK]**

Ayumi  
[I-I… *blush* I've always loved you!]

Satoshi  
[…!]

Satoshi was shocked as he looked at Ayumi's red-face.  
Ayumi looked away to avoid the embarrassment.  
It was the first time he had seen the class rep look so flustered.  
He felt blood rising to his head but Naomi's face immediately appeared into his mind.

Satoshi  
[..Thank you, Shinozaki… But I'm sorry.]

Ayumi looked up at Satoshi's guilty expression,  
like he found it difficult to reject her.

Satoshi  
[I-I love Naomi…]

A beat of silence.

Satoshi  
[That fellow…  
She wouldn't be able to make it without me, would she?  
*chuckle* *softens expression* More than that…  
*pause* I wouldn't be able to make it without her…]

Ayumi  
[Mochida…]

Satoshi  
[I realized that when she disappeared while we were in that hellish place…  
That I can't live without her…  
Without her, I might as well die…]

Satoshi looked into Ayumi's eyes.

Satoshi  
[So… I'm sorry but…]

Ayumi  
[*cuts* Hehehehehe…  
I didn't know Mochida you were such a romantic!]

Ayumi hit Satoshi's back, hard.

Satoshi  
[Oww…That hurts, Shinozaki!]

Ayumi  
[Hehehe…]

Ayumi  
_This hurts… More than I imagined…_

Ayumi  
[One request, Mochida.]

Satoshi  
[Eh? U-uh, yeah?]

Ayumi  
[*brightly* Could you call me Ayumi for once?]

Satoshi  
[Eh?]

Ayumi looked at Satoshi with an almost pleading look.

Satoshi  
[…Ayumi.]

Ayumi  
[*smiles brightly* Hahahaha all right!  
Mochida, I've decided to officially reject you!]

Satoshi  
[H-huh?]

Ayumi  
[*smiles* Can't help it if you're such a lovesick fool for Nakashima! Heh!]

Satoshi  
[Shinozaki…]

Ayumi  
_He didn't call me Ayumi, huh…_

Ayumi  
[Well, well! You shouldn't be keeping Nakashima waiting! Come, let's get you moving!]

Ayumi grabbed Satoshi's bag and pushed it to him.

Satoshi  
[… Thanks, Shinozaki.]

Satoshi turned around and left the classroom.

**[FLASHBACK END]**

The flashback ended and Ayumi could feel the tears coming back up again.

Ayumi  
_When we came back from the hell hole, _  
_I realized how precious life was.  
We never know what might happen...  
I didn't want to regret, so I... _  
_After I've gathered all my courage... _  
_Ha. I got rejected. _

Ayumi  
[Hehehe… *sniff* What was I expecting anyway?  
*cries* Am I a fool?]

Silent footsteps entered from the back of the classroom  
as the figure stopped at the sound of Ayumi's soft cry.

Yoshiki  
[…Shinozaki.]

Ayumi wiped her tears furiously.

Ayumi  
[W-what are you doing here?]

Yoshiki  
[… I-I just thought I could use the piano for a while…  
*pause* Are you okay, Shinozaki?]

Ayumi  
[Of course I'm not, you fool! *fumes*  
What are you looking at! You insensitive fool!  
Can't you tell a girl needs her moment?]

Yoshiki  
[…]

Ayumi ran toward Yoshiki and started beating his chest, startling him.

Ayumi  
[You're the worst aren't you!  
And now you're barging into the classroom at the worse state ever!  
Have you any sense?!]

Yoshiki  
[…]

Ayumi  
[Why aren't you stopping me? Are you a fool?! Baka, baka, baka!]

Yoshiki  
[…Yeah, I'm a fool.]

Ayumi  
[…!]

Yoshiki  
[I'm the greatest fool who will gladly let you use me as a punching bag.]

Tears began to pour out from Ayumi eyes as she crashed her head into Yoshiki's chest and wailed.

Ayumi  
[Don't pity me, you fool!  
*softens* ...You're really a fool!  
...Fool...fool...fool!]

Yoshiki gently stroked her hair.

Yoshiki  
[Yes, yes, I am…]

Her cries filled the entire classroom with no worries of anyone else listening to her.  
As she wet his chest, it seemed as if the pain she felt had been transferred to Yoshiki.  
Yoshiki felt tight in his chest.  
Was it pity? Or sympathy? But he know it all too well…

It was love.

**[THE AFTERMATH: CHAPTER 1 - END]**

* * *

Author  
Well, hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I do have intention to continue writing if the response is good. ^-^ Got some ideas here and there that will involve Seiko's brother, Sachiko (once again), Yuka and actually, everyone else (Seiko, Ms Yui, Morishige and Mayu). Or maybe just Yoshiki playing the piano :3. So, this kind of depends if I have the motivation to write.. After all, this does take a fair bit of effort to do so… Hehehe. But hope you liked it so far and hope I didn't drift away too far from their characters. Talk to ya'all next time (if there's a chance)! ^-^


	2. Chapter 2

Author  
Well, I've decided to continue the story! ^^  
With that, this story will be rated T due to gore and violent scenes. Afterall, it's corpse party.  
For the following chapters, I will switch between normal world and Heavenly Host Elementary School...  
So don't be confused! ^^v

Some shout-outs:  
NeverRegretAnything: Thanks for your kind review that has motivated me to continue this! ^^  
People who fav'ed and followed this: Hope you'll like this!

WARNING: The starting is going to be a little gruesome.

* * *

Teen

[AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  
AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!]

His screams were deafening and wild like a siren,  
alarming anyone nearby, sending shivers down their spines.  
She could hear the fear and helplessness in his voice,  
struggling to be free from her tight grip.  
He could feel her nails digging into his skin as she held him by his head,  
lifting him off the ground.

Teen  
[PLEASE! NO! AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH !]

She dug her fingers deep into his temples as his screams grew wilder.  
She could feel his warm tears rolling through her thumb.  
She had never felt warmth for a very long time,  
and it was funny that only the warmth of blood and tears could reach her.  
He looked at the spirit with her insides spilt out,  
and knew that he was going to end up like her.  
She lifted him up one last time, ready to flung him against the wall.

Teen  
[*gasp* Mo-Mori...Morishige...  
*cries* Please... Be safe...!]

The girl awoke from what seemed like a trance and dropped the boy on the ground.

Mayu  
[*hic* S-shi...Shige-nii?]

She tried looking at her hands, but see through it instead  
and stared at the injured and unknown boy on the ground.

Mayu  
[W-what...What have I done?!  
Aaahhh... Aaaahhhh... AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHH!  
SHIGE-NII! SHIGE-NII! SHIGE-NII!]

Morishige's appeared from behind her and held her hand.  
His face looked weary, his eyes darkened.  
There was blood on the side of his lips and stab wounds all over his torso.  
On further examination, his hair seemed to be drenched in what seemed to be blood.

Morishige  
[It's okay, Mayu. I'm right here.]

Mayu turned around and flung herself onto Morishige.

Mayu  
[Shi-shige-nii..! The darkening got me again, didn't it? *wails*]

A helpless look appeared on Morishige's face.

Morishige  
[*pants* I-it's...okay, Mayu... *gulps* I-I'm..right here.]

Morishige pulled Mayu into a close embrace with her back facing the injured teen.  
Then he looked up and stared into the teen's eyes.  
His eyes suddenly widened and his mouth opened wide into a sinister grin.  
The teen shivered and cried in both panic and fear.  
Morishige vigorously shook his head and his tired expression returned.

Morishige  
_Damn it! It's not long before the darkness completely swallow us!_

Morishige gently pushed Mayu apart and looked at her with a kind and gentle smile.

Morishige  
[*gently* Let's go, Mayu.]

Mayu nodded with her disfigured head.  
Her features were so manipulated that she could only be recognized from the short ponytail on her head.  
One of her eyes was an empty socket, with a strand of muscle drooping out from it.  
More than half of her face was smashed into a gruesome mix,  
with a few loose teeth around what seemed to be gum.  
Morishige pulled Mayu to him again and they disappeared.  
The teen stared at the empty space before him in disbelief.  
When the relief came over him, he cried.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 2: START]**

Satoshi  
[Naomi!]

Naomi turned around to see Satoshi running toward her.  
Her face brightened up and a flush appeared on her cheeks.

Naomi  
[G-good morning, Satoshi.]

Satoshi  
[*pants* Good morning! *pants*]

Upon remembering what happened yesterday,  
both their face turned a bright tint of red and looked away simultaneously.  
The weather was hot but the thought of yesterday's event just made them hotter inside.  
Ayumi turned around the corner and her eyes looked sad.  
Yoshiki was right behind her and noticed Ayumi had stopped walking.  
He noticed she was staring, then he looked around and realized she was staring at Satoshi and Naomi.  
Ayumi inhaled deeply and exhaled with her eyes closed.  
Then she opened her eyes with a determined look and a bright smile as she ran towards Satoshi and Naomi.

Ayumi  
[What are you guys doing?]

Satoshi & Naomi  
[!]

Satoshi  
[Shinozaki!]

Ayumi  
[*grins* You're blocking the school entrance, fools! *sly grin*  
*whispers to Naomi* You can always continue your bashful moments after you enter.]

Naomi  
[!*blush bright red* C-class rep!]

Ayumi playfully hit Satoshi on his back and ran into the school through the entrance.

Naomi  
[Let's, let's enter, Satoshi.]

Satoshi  
[Ah... Un.]

Yoshiki enters the through the gate right after Satoshi and Naomi,  
greeting them, and caught up to Ayumi.  
He bent over and whispered to her.

Yoshiki  
[You did well, didn't you.]

Ayumi  
[!]

Yoshiki turned to look at her and smiled.  
Ayumi smiled a little and then crossed her arms over her chest with pride.

Ayumi  
[Hmph! Of course! Who do you think I am?]

Yoshiki chuckled a little and messed up Ayumi's hair.  
Ayumi pushed his hand away and noticed how big his hand,  
and how he was more than a head taller than her, for the first time.

Ayumi  
[What are you doing?! You're messing up my hair!]

Yoshiki looked at Ayumi and blushed a little at her pouty face as she tied her hair.

Yoshiki  
_C-cute..._

Ayumi  
[Hmm? Why are you staring at me?]

Yoshiki  
[! *looks away* N-nah, I wasn't looking at nothin'.]

Ayumi  
[Hmm? Weirdo.]

Ayumi entered classroom with Yoshiki behind her.  
Naomi and Satoshi reached ten seconds later.  
They took their seats as the front door opened and a teacher entered.

Teacher  
[Morning class!]

The class stood up and greeted the teacher in unison.

Class  
[Good morning Mr. Matsudo!]

Ayumi's phone vibrated and she opened to see a message from Yoshiki.

Ayumi  
_Kishinuma..?_

Yoshiki  
_[Don't be sad, Shinozaki! It's all over your face.  
I miss Ms. Yui too, but I'm sure she'd want us to stay strong.]_

Ayumi  
_How did he...?_

Ayumi turned around. Yoshiki and her eyes met for a moment  
and he quickly looked away, his face slightly red.  
Ayumi giggled and turned back. Yoshiki's phone vibrated.  
He gently smiled at the thank you message he received and decided to pay attention in class.

* * *

**[SCHOOL BELL]**

Satoshi, Naomi, Yoshiki and Ayumi stayed back in class after school.  
After everyone else had left the school, Ayumi closed both the doors.

Satoshi  
[What is it, Shinozaki?]

Ayumi  
[...I have something...important to discuss. About THAT school.]

All of them could feel the cold wind pass by.

Naomi  
[*hesitate* ..What is it, class rep?]

Ayumi  
[It's about Naho.]

Yoshiki  
[What about her?]

Ayumi  
[She wasn't forgotten.]

Satoshi, Naomi & Yoshiki  
[...!]

Ayumi  
[I just went back to her blog last night...  
It's just a habit of mine, visiting her blog before I sleep...  
And there it was, as it was there before.  
But she's already dead, isn't she? But her existence was not erased.  
*pause* I did consider the fact that it could be due to her spiritual powers...  
But was her power is strong enough to cut through dimensions  
to the extend of keeping her existence in the normal world?  
Which is why I believe...  
There might be a part of her still in this world.]

Yoshiki  
[W-what do you mean?]

Ayumi  
[*sigh* Well... It's hard to explain...  
Well, everyone else's existence were completely erased  
because they died in that world, right?  
And Naho's spiritual powers should only be strong enough  
for her to use in the other world, and not this.  
For her existence to be consistently available here...]

Naomi  
[She should still be alive.]

Ayumi  
[*shrugs* Well, not really.  
Technically she's dead,  
but some of her spirit must have cut through the dimension.]

Satoshi  
[So...what's your point?]

Ayumi  
[Ms Yui, Suzumoto, Morishige and Shinohara are dead...  
And probably can't be brought back to life, but...  
*breathes deep* I think we might have a way to bring back their existence from before.]

Satoshi, Naomi & Yoshiki  
[?!]

Naomi could feel her heart beat faster.

Naomi  
_A way for everyone to be remembered again..?!  
Then Seiko's existence will not be forgotten!_

Ayumi dug out a few papers from her bag and distributed to everyone.

Ayumi  
[This is a necromancy spell I found online.  
It seemed workable... So I thought maybe we could talk to Naho  
and figure things out from there.]

Yoshiki  
[Spell?! I-isn't this dangerous?  
We should stop meddling with such stuffs, Shinozaki...  
We never know what might happen to us again...]

Ayumi  
[It's safe, I promise you. It's totally harmless.  
The worst thing that could happen is for the spirit you summon to follow you, that's all.]

Satoshi  
[But...]

Naomi stepped out.

Naomi  
[Let's give it a try.]

Satoshi  
[Naomi...]

Naomi  
[If there's any possibility to bring Seiko back,  
even if it's just memories of her, I'd do anything!]

There was an air of uneasiness,  
but the determination and courage overflowed from Naomi,  
and somehow communicated itself to Yoshiki and Satoshi.  
Satoshi sighed and then looked up with a ready expression.

Satoshi  
[Let's do it then.]

Yoshiki  
[*smiles* Count me in then.]

Ayumi  
[*grateful smile* Thank you, everyone!]

And so the group decided they would meet this weekend at the school gate.  
Their hearts were filled with anxiety, hope and fear.  
Anxious about the spell, hopeful about meeting Naho  
and fearful of a reunion with someone from the elementary school.  
Yet in their heart, they know it had to be done.

* * *

Satoshi was walking Naomi home after their meeting in the classroom.  
Naomi had been checking her phone the entire time as they walked.  
Her face looked tired and worn out from mental struggles.

Satoshi  
[...Naomi, are you all right?]

Naomi  
[*surprise* U-uh, yeah, I'm fine...]

Satoshi  
[Are you waiting for someone's call?]

Naomi  
[...]

Satoshi immediately understood her silence.  
She was waiting, hoping, for Seiko's call.

Satoshi  
[Naomi... You know that Seiko can't...]

Naomi's head hung low and she whispered.

Naomi  
[I know...]

Naomi  
_I know she won't be able to send me anymore texts,  
but I just..._

Tears brimmed Naomi's eyes and Satoshi sighed.  
Then he pulled her by the side of the road and held her in an embrace.

Satoshi  
[Go ahead and cry.]

Naomi  
[..!]

Satoshi  
[It's okay to cry, I'll be here.]

Naomi  
_Satoshi... No, I have to stop being depressed all the time!_

Naomi gently pushed Satoshi away and smiled brightly at him.

Naomi  
[..Thank you, Satoshi. *smiles* You're so sweet.]

Satoshi blushed, then grunted and pulled Naomi back into his embrace.

Naomi  
[! Satoshi..?]

Satoshi  
[*blush* J-just, just give me a reason a hug you already!]

Naomi  
[! *blush* *smiles* Thank you, Satoshi.]

Ever since they had come back from Heavenly Host,  
they had stopped their childish bickering and often find themselves  
in heart-racing moments such as this. Naomi smiled in his embrace,  
until a boy no taller than 4"4 passed by her.

It was Seiko's brother.

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 2: END]**

* * *

Author  
Not as much romance here as compared to chapter 1,  
a big chunk focused on communicating to Naho...  
But trust me, there will be build up and you'll see the rest of the guys  
in the upcoming chapters. There will be horror, so brace yourself.  
And yes, the portion before the chapter start might have been rather gruesome..  
But isn't it sweet knowing Morishige still treat Mayu so sweetly even with her disfiguration?  
But I'm not hoping for a tragedy (unless of course the writing moves to that direction unknowingly..)  
Well then, that's all for now. 'Til then! ^^v


	3. Chapter 3

Author  
Thanks for all who reviewed/liked/followed this little ficcie of mine! I am humbled by your support.  
Next up, some other characters that we missed will be coming up, and I must say-  
It's getting exciting! :3  
I'm excited myself. Hohoho. All right, have fun reading! ^^

* * *

**[FLASHBACK STARTS]**

Naomi  
[Hey, Seiko, if I were an animal, what would I be?]

Seiko  
[Hmm? Why the sudden question?]

Naomi  
[Just wondering!]

Seiko  
[Hmm... Let's see...  
Ah! I know! Definitely that!]

Naomi  
[Eh? What? What?]

Seiko  
[A rabbit! So innocent and fluffy and adorable!]

Naomi  
[S-stop it! Seiko! Not my bossom again!]

Seiko  
[Hehehehe...]

Naomi  
[Mou..! If Seiko were an animal, you're definitely a cat!]

Seiko  
[A cat...huh? Nya~ Suits me fine~]

Naomi  
[S-Seiko! Stop it!]

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

She fumbled with her cellphone, switching it on and off again.  
It has been 3 months since she had try sending any messages out but it was to no avail.  
The message titled 'No hard feelings' stared back at her with a 'failed delivery' notice on top of it.

Seiko  
[*sigh* I guess it can no longer be sent after they've gone back…  
*big sigh* Haaaaaaaaaaaa. *pause*  
OH HOW I MISS FONDLING YOUR BREASTS, NAOMI!]

Seiko laughs to herself.

Seiko  
_I'm sure Satoshi's taking care of her well. I'm sure they're safe back home, soaked with happiness._

Her face stared blankly into an empty wall while a dark shadow appeared behind her.

Seiko  
_And soon, I'll be forgotten.  
__*pause* No, no, no! What am I thinking?!  
__*hits her head* Silly me! I mustn't think like that!  
__I must wish for their happiness!_

Boy  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH !]

Seiko  
[! Time to go now!]

Seiko moved toward the scream and saw Kizami  
holding a young boy by his neck, and a knife on his other hand.

Seiko  
[Stop it, Kizami!]

Kizami turned to look at Seiko, his eyes dark and his smile crooked.  
He laughed hysterically and dropped the boy on the ground.  
It was then when Seiko realized the boy had been stabbed twice, one on each leg.  
Kizami vanished for a second and appeared right in front of Seiko the next.

Kizami  
[Why so serious?]

Seiko  
[! You…!]

_Kizami put his hands around Seiko's neck and Seiko could not breathe properly._

Kizami  
[Would you like to feel that again? Suffocation?  
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Kizami held Seiko high by her neck and squeezed tight.  
It's that same pain and despair that Seiko felt when Naomi had hung her up while she was possessed.  
She looked at the young boy on the ground, crying silently, his expression full of panic and fear.

Seiko  
_This is bad… He can't run away with those injuries..!_

And what happened next surprised Seiko the most.

Boy  
[Let… Let big sister go!]

Seiko & Kizami  
[!]

Kizami  
[Hahaha.. Hehehe… Hahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehahahahahahaha !  
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Kizami dropped Seiko and appeared right before the boy immediately.  
The young boy started to wet himself. Kizami smiled viciously.

Kizami  
[You seem like a fun toy to have…Hehehehehe…Hahahahahaha!]

Kizami's hysterical laughters stopped abruptly and his face grew serious.  
He took out his knife and struck at the boy.  
But he had missed.  
Seiko carried the boy and teleported before the bloodied knife went through the young boy's chest.

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 3: START]**

* * *

Naomi  
[I-it's... It's Yuu-chan... Seiko's brother!]

Satoshi  
[?]

Naomi released herself from their embrace and ran toward the boy no taller than 4"4.  
She grabbed him by his left arm and turned him around to face her.

Naomi  
[*gasp* *gasp* Yuu-chan, isn't it?! It's Yuu-chan, right?!]

Yuu  
[Eh? U-uh, yes, I am... But who are you..?]

Naomi  
_*sudden realization* He... doesn't remember me..?_  
_*heart aches* Of course he doesn't...  
There's no link between our relationship anymore,_  
_Now that Seiko's gone..._

Yuu  
[Um, *hesitate* big sister?]

Naomi  
[! I-I'm, I'm sorry, I was..!  
You looked like someone I knew...  
He was called Yuu-chan too..]

Yuu  
[*shifty* *nervous* U-uh, I-I see...]

Naomi  
[Sorry to bother you!]

Naomi turned around and ran away before her tears start pouring from her eyes.  
The reminder that Seiko's existence was erased pained her heart once again.  
She ran back to where Satoshi was and collapsed in his arms.

Satoshi  
[?! Naomi?! Are you all right?!]

Naomi  
[*cough* *cries* Satoshi..!]

She grabbed Satoshi by his collar and started wailing away.  
The pain was so sharp that she knew it wasn't a dream.  
After having met Yuu, she's determined.

Naomi  
[Satoshi... Let's bring their existence back...  
*cries* No matter the cost...!]

Satoshi  
[...Naomi...]

Satoshi continued to hold her in his arms for another thirty minutes before she calmed down.  
He constantly patted on Naomi's head gently to comfort her.  
His heart ached every time she had cried and decided-

Satoshi  
_I will do everything to make those tears go away._

While walking her home, they held hands in a tight grip.  
It was a sign of their determination.

* * *

Yoshiki just came out from the bathroom.  
He had a long and good soak in the bathtub  
while recollecting pictures of Ayumi in his mind.  
Even as he walked out from the bathroom,  
he wondered to himself how was Ayumi doing now.  
Is she still upset about Ms. Yui?  
Is she stressing herself up about the spell?  
Is she crying?  
He entered his room just as his cell phone rang.  
He stared at the screen as he picked up his phone.

Yoshiki  
[?! Shinozaki?  
*pause* *clears throat*  
Hello?]

Ayumi  
[Ah, Kishinuma?]

Yoshiki  
[Um, yeah, whaddap?]

Ayumi  
[Sorry to bother you, but is it possible for you to come down?  
To the convenience store, just for a while!]

Yoshiki  
[*blush*...S-sure.]

Ayumi  
[That's great! I'll see you in ten!]

Yoshiki hung up and ran toward his closet.  
He opened wide his closet and realized he was feeling both hot and cold at the same time.  
He was so happy to receive a call from Ayumi, had that warmed his heart,  
yet his body was shivering just from a tint touch of excitement and nervousness.  
It took him too long to decide what to wear,  
and finally decided to just calm himself down.  
He grabbed a navy blue jersey and a pair of chocolate brown berms.

Yoshiki rushed out of the door, forgetting to tie his shoe laces.  
He ran down the street, his body pumped with adrenaline to meet Ayumi.  
What could it be possibly that Ayumi would ask him out?  
No matter what the reason was, he was just glad she asked him out, even for a little while.

Ayumi  
[Kishinuma!]

Yoshiki looked up to see Ayumi waving at him ahead.  
She was wearing a yellow pullover and a pair of khaki pants.  
Her hair was tied into her usual ponytails, but somehow seeing her in casual clothes made him breathless.

Yoshiki  
_*blush* C-cute..._

Yoshiki  
[W-what is it, Shinozaki.]

Ayumi  
[*smiles brightly* Heh, thanks for coming, Kishinuma!]

Yoshiki  
_*blush* Dang, you gotta stop smiling at me or else...!_

Ayumi  
[This is regarding the spell... *pause*  
I decided I couldn't talk to Naomi about it...  
She's been looking so pale lately... I'm worried about her health.  
The last thing I want on Saturday is for her to collapse half way through the spell.  
And as for Mochida...]

Yoshiki  
[...So, what's this about?]

Ayumi  
[Well, about that...  
I missed out a point for the spell to work today.]

Yoshiki  
[?]

Ayumi  
[We'll need one of Naho's possession for the spell to work.]

Yoshiki  
[Eh?! But how are we...?]

Ayumi waved her fingers toward herself,  
signaling Yoshiki to bent forward, making him blush further.  
His heart was drumming so loudly he was afraid she could hear it as she drew near.  
He knitted his brows together to cover for his embarrassment.

Ayumi  
[*whispers* We'll sneak into her apartment.]

Yoshiki  
[EH?!]

Ayumi pulled Yoshiki aside and placed a finger over her lips.  
Yoshiki was no longer blushing.

Yoshiki  
[Are you kidding?! That's a criminal...!]

Ayumi  
[SHHHHHH! Quieten down, are you trying to attract attention!?]

Yoshiki  
[Ah! S-sorry, sorry!]

Ayumi  
[*sighs* *whispers* I've gotten her address, but I'll need you to do this with me.  
You're the only one I can depend on now, okay?]

Yoshiki  
[*shrugs* I guess... *sighs* I can't leave you alone, can I?]

Ayumi  
[Thanks, Kishinuma!]

Yoshiki  
[*sighs* *smiles* All right. So when's the action?]

* * *

Yuka  
[Brother! Broooother!]

Satoshi  
[..Hmm..? *grunts* What is it..?]

Yuka  
[You're gonna be late for school if you don't wake up now!  
*pulls* Broooootheeeeer!]

Satoshi  
[..Three more minutes...]

Yuka  
[... *jumps on Satoshi* Wake up!]

Satoshi  
[?! All right, all right! I'm awake!]

Yuka  
[Hehehehe... That's good! *gets off*  
Breakfast's ready! *runs out*  
Brother's awake, mummy!]

Satoshi rubbed his eyes as he got off his bed.  
He walked to the bathroom and looked into the mirror.  
He looked terrible. His eyes were dark and he looked tired.  
He could not sleep well last night, thinking about Naomi.  
He was worried everything is too hard for Naomi.  
Sure, it was harsh for everyone. But definitely more for Naomi,  
especially when she had witness herself killing her best friend on a video.

Satoshi  
_All right, I gotta be strong for Naomi..!_

He washed up and changed into a clean set of uniform as he went down to the dining table.  
Awaiting for him at the dining table was Yuka and his mother.  
Mrs Mochida looked like a matured version of Yuka with shorter hair and a fuller figure.

Yuka  
[Brother! Today, it's pancakes!  
Mummy and I made it together!  
Right, mummy?]

Mrs. Mochida  
[That's right! We did well, didn't we, Yuka-chan?]

Yuka  
[*brightly* Um! *blush* T-that way, I can be a good bride!  
*blush* *smiles* Don't you think so, brother?]

Satoshi  
[...]

Yuka  
[*worries* B-brother..?]

Satoshi  
[..! Eh? Um, that's right! The pancakes are delicious!  
You're going to be a great cook, Yuka!]

Yuka  
[... *pouts* Brother's a fool!]

Satoshi  
[Eh?]

Yuka left the dining table, grabbed her back and walked toward the door.

Yuka  
[I'll be heading off first!]

Mrs Mochida  
[Be careful!]

Yuka opened the door and was surprise to see Yoshiki at the door.

Yoshiki  
[Yo!]

Yuka  
[Brother! Yoshi-bro is here!]

Satoshi  
[Eh? Yoshiki?]

Yoshiki entered the house.

Yoshiki  
[Sorry to intrude...  
Ah, good morning, Mrs Mochida!]

Mrs Mochida  
[Good morning, Kishinuma-kun!  
Would you like some pancakes?]

Yoshiki  
[Nah, I'm fine! I had something before I came.]

Satoshi  
[What's up?]

Yoshiki  
[Nah, just thought of catching up.  
We haven't really spoke, you know...  
*whispers* Since we came back.]

Satoshi  
[Ah... Sure. Gimme a sec.]

Satoshi gobbled down his food and orange juice,  
grabbed his bag pack and started wearing his shoes.

Satoshi  
[I'm off!]

Mrs Mochida  
[Be careful!]

Yoshiki and Satoshi walked toward the school along the familiar street.  
Although Satoshi and Yoshiki lived in quite a distance,  
Yoshiki had often stayed over his house,  
playing games and reading manga during summer holidays.  
They walked on until Yoshiki broke the silence.

Yoshiki  
[So... How's Nakashima?]

Satoshi  
[... Well, I'm not sure. *sighs*  
No good, to be honest.  
She's very affected by what happened, you see.]

Yoshiki  
[Um, I would think so...  
After all, Shinohara and her were such close friends...  
She must have been devastated.]

Satoshi  
[Ha.. Tell me about it..]

Yoshiki stopped on his tracks and Satoshi followed.  
Yoshiki looked into Satoshi's eyes as he put his hands on his shoulders.

Yoshiki  
[Hey, if it gets too tough... J-just, uh, how do I put it...  
*blush* Don't keep it all inside.]

Yoshiki looked away in embarrassment and walked on.  
Satoshi was shock.  
It was the first time he had seen Yoshiki concern himself with someone else.  
Yoshiki's words sent him a huge relief, lifting his burdens.

Satoshi  
[*smiles* Thank you, Yoshiki.]

Yoshiki  
[... Un.]

Satoshi could not see his expression, but from his back,  
he could imagine Yoshiki's embarrassed face.  
Satoshi could not hold in his amusement and chuckled.

Yoshiki  
[W-what?]

Satoshi  
[*chuckles* N-nothing. *smiles* Let's go.]

* * *

Author  
Awwwwww. Some bro-mance from Yoshiki and Satoshi... /  
Hope you liked Seiko's appearance like I did.  
Seiko's like some kind of heroine-spirit of her own now.  
Or at least I'd pictured her to be.  
Comments and reviews for this story will be appreciate!  
All right, next chapter's going to get exciting~ ^^v


	4. Chapter 4

Author  
[Long chapter ahead, have fun.]

* * *

Girl  
[*pants* *pants*]

She ran. As far as she could, as much as where her legs could bring her.  
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she recalled the gruesome images of her friend's murder.  
She could still hear her's friend's pleas before the sound of hammering echoed alongside her screams.  
There was nothing she could do.  
She had to run before the girl with a hammer got her.

Girl  
[*sniff* Hana... *sniff* I'm so sorry...]

It seemed almost twenty minutes before she finally dropped on her knees from exhaustion.  
Only after she had caught up with her own breathing did she realized she entered a room.  
She was seating on a floor with what seemed like a symbol.  
A symbol painted in red that reminded her of those symbols you saw on horror shows.  
Somehow, the sight of the redness alarmed her and she moved away.  
It smelt like paint, but it reminded her of blood.  
While she moved away, she knocked on something behind her.  
Or someone.

Girl  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH !]

Before her was the spirit of a lady with short hair.  
There was blood on her sides and her neck was snapped.  
The eyes of the spirit stared into hers.  
Her lips quivered and she was too scared to scream.  
Her eyes widened in fear as the spirit approached her.

Ms. Yui  
[I-I'm, I'm sorry to have scared you!  
But I mean no harm!]

Girl  
_W-what? She must be kidding me... _  
_Did she think I was a kid? _  
_I won't be fooled!_

Ms. Yui  
[Please, believe me! *pause*  
Let me help you.]

The girl's body shock when the spirit suddenly appeared beside her, holding her right leg.  
She almost screamed when she thought the spirit was going to pull her apart,  
until she realized the spirit was bandaging her wound.  
It was only then did she realized she had a deep cut on her thigh.  
Now that the girl has calmed down a little,  
she noticed the spirit had an apologetic look.  
It's the first time she's seen something like that since she's been brought to this God-forsaken place.

Girl  
[... T-thank you.]

Ms. Yui  
[*smiles* You're welcome!  
And I'm sorry, I must have scared you with my look...]

Girl  
[...]

Ms. Yui  
[I'm Shishido Yui, what's your name?]

Girl  
[... *hesitate* Ri-rina. Morishige Rina.]

Ms. Yui  
[..! Morishige? *pause* *smiles*  
I once had a student called Morishige too.  
He was a very smart boy.]

Rina  
_She said 'was', didn't she..? _  
_Does that mean he's..._

Ms. Yui  
[All right, Morishige-san. *serious*  
Do you know where you're at right now?]

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 4: START]**

Naomi woke up feeling like she did not sleep at all.  
Her eyes were swollen and tired from all the crying last night,  
yet she could not fall asleep.  
Every time the fatigue plagued into her,  
she would then jerk herself awake from the gory images of her friends.  
The scene of which she accidentally killed Seiko kept replaying in her mind.  
She knew if this were to go on, she might just go mad.  
She was too tired and could not push herself to change into her uniform and go to school.  
It was too tiring for her to have to put out a smile as if nothing had happened.  
It was too painful for her to be reminded that Seiko, Mayu, Ms Yui and Morishige were no longer around.  
She decided to stay home.

Nakashima Natsumi was worried.  
She had noticed a sudden change in her daughter recently.  
She was always locked up in the room when she's home.  
She would hide in the corner of the room,  
clenching onto her cellphone, muttering 'Seiko' repeatedly.  
And today, Naomi was all locked up again.  
Natsumi made a phone call to the school and informed that her daughter was feeling unwell.  
She then made another call to her own school and asked for a leave to take care of her daughter.  
It would not be necessary if Naomi were just sick,  
but Natsumi knew that her daughter was deranged.  
On certain days, Naomi would come home smiling brightly,  
as if something great had happened in school.  
Then the next moment, she would become stiff and her eyes would harden.

Natsumi  
[Naomi, open up. I've brought you some food.]

She waited.

Naomi  
[I'm not hungry.]

Natsumi  
[...Naomi, you got to eat something.  
It's not good to skip breakfast and lunch...]

Naomi  
[I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!]

Natsumi bit on her lower lip when she heard Naomi crying in her room.  
She had no idea what was happening and Naomi was refusing to speak with her.

**[FLASHBACK]**

Naomi opened the front door wide and entered her home.

Natsumi  
[Welcome home, Nao-]

Naomi had ran into Natsumi's arms and started sobbing.

Natsumi  
[W-what's wrong, Naomi?]

Naomi  
[Mummy... Seiko... Seiko...  
I... Seiko... *wails*]

Natsumi  
[N-naomi? What are you talking about?  
Who's Seiko?]

It was right after that when Natsumi felt her daughter stiffen up.  
She pulled away from the embrace and her eyes bored into Natsumi.  
A single tear dripped down her cheek and she ran into her room.

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

Natsumi  
_Who on earth is Seiko..?_

Doorbell  
[*rings*]

Natsumi  
_Who could that be...?_

Natsumi opened the door and a familiar face appeared at her doorsteps.  
She had seen his handsome face somewhere in Naomi's photos.

Natsumi  
[Are you Naomi's friend...?]

The boy bowed.

Satoshi  
[Y-yes! G-good afternoon, Mrs Nakashima!  
I'm Mochida Satoshi, Naomi's classmate!  
... *looks around*  
Is Naomi home?]

Natsumi  
_Naomi...? First name basis, huh..?  
Ah! So he's THAT Mochida..._

Natsumi  
[*smiles* Sure, she's home...  
*smile fades* But I don't think she'll want to meet anyone now...]

Satoshi  
[?]

Natsumi  
[*sigh* She hasn't eaten anything all day and she's refusing to open the door...]

Satoshi  
[...Is that so...]

Natsumi  
[Do you know what happened to her?]

Satoshi  
[*shrug* Mrs Nakashima, why don't you let me try?]

Natsumi  
_Well, I guess there's no harm in that..._

Natusmi  
[Come on in, then.]

Natsumi led Satoshi in and took a plate of cupcakes with her.  
She led Satoshi up to Naomi's room and knocked on her door.

Natsumi  
[*knock* Naomi, your friend's here to see you.]

Naomi  
[..! W-who's that..?]

Satoshi  
[Naomi, it's me.]

It took about five seconds before the door opened and Naomi peered through the small opening.  
After inspection, she finally opened wide the door.  
Natsumi was shocked and relieved at the same time,  
amazed at how much influence Satoshi had on her daughter.  
He must mean something to her.  
Natsumi passed the plate of cupcakes to Satoshi.

Natsumi  
[I'll...leave you two alone.]

Satoshi and Naomi stared at each other along the corridor for a minute.

Satoshi  
[U-uhm, can I come in..?]

Naomi  
[N-no...It's a mess..!]

Satoshi  
[I don't mind.]

Naomi  
[... G-give me a second!]

Naomi panicked and tried to tidy up her room as Satoshi peered into the room.  
It was not as messy as he had expected.  
Sure, the bed was messy and there was a couple of clothes lying around,  
but it was all right.

Naomi  
[Y-you may enter now...]

Satoshi  
[*blush* Well, excuse me then...]

Satoshi and Naomi sat across each other in the room.  
The silence was overwhelming and heating up the room.  
Finally, he broke the silence.

Satoshi  
[I was worried when you didn't turn up to school today.]

Naomi  
[..! I-I'm sorry..]

Satoshi  
[Are you okay? Feeling unwell?]

Naomi  
[*shakes head* I'm fine...]

Satoshi waited patiently.  
Naomi could feel his gentle gaze on her and finally spoke.

Naomi  
[I-I couldn't sleep...  
I kept thinking about Seiko and the others...  
When I was finally tired and about to fall asleep,  
the image of Seiko's...m-murder...just kept replaying... *sob*  
And the thought of everyone forgetting about them...  
I...I... *sob* I don't-  
..!]

Satoshi held her into a tight embrace, almost suffocating her.  
That was when she realized he was trembling.

Satoshi  
[It's okay... Naomi.  
I'm sure Shinohara's forgiven you...]

She felt something wetting her shoulders and realized Satoshi was crying.

Naomi  
_...!  
What an idiot I am..._  
_To think that I was all alone..._

They both cried silently together for a while.

Naomi  
[*whispers* Thank you, Satoshi.  
*smiles* I know I'm not alone now.]

Naomi tightened the hug and it took a few seconds before Satoshi pulled away from the embrace.

Naomi  
[...?]

Satoshi  
[*blush* I-it's no good.]

Naomi  
[...?]

Satoshi  
[*blush* D-don't look at me like that!  
*frustrated* Geez, when you hug me like that, I can f-feel your...*blush*]

Naomi  
[...! *pause* *whispers*...Pervert.]

Satoshi  
[...! W-what?  
H-hey, I'm a regular guy after all!  
Of course I'd get aroused!  
...! W-what am I saying?!]

Naomi  
[*giggles*]

Satoshi  
[...*blush* O-oh well...]

Naomi then gently cupped his cheeks in her hands and pulled him closer before her face.

Naomi  
[...*smile* Silly.]

They kissed.  
Naomi knew that the only person that could help retain her sanity was Satoshi.

* * *

Ayumi was dressed in a black jumper and a pair of dark grey pants.  
She hid her hair under a black cap she was wearing while waiting outside the convenience store.  
It took another five minute before Yoshiki showed up in a bright yellow pullover and grey pants.  
Ayumi waved cautiously at Yoshiki.

Yoshiki  
[Yo!]

Ayumi  
[*whisper* FOOL!  
Are you trying to attract attention wearing that bright colored thing?!]

Yoshiki  
[*shrug* I didn't know there was a dresscode...  
Besides, what difference would it make anyway?  
I mean, it's still daylight...]

Ayumi  
[*glares*... *sigh* Well, from the looks of the address,  
Naho lives just right around the corner...]

Yoshiki  
[Eh?]

Yoshiki  
_Such... Coincidence..?_

Ayumi  
[*nods* Come on, let's go.]

They crossed the road and reached the Karaoke place located opposite the convenience store.  
They took a left turn and turned into an alley.  
They passed by two dumpsters before they turned right and reached a building.  
The building looked expensive with its security guard and glass doors,  
though it looked a little washed out from years of rain.

Yoshiki  
[Woah... What are we going to do about THAT?]

Yoshiki pointed at the security and looked at Ayumi questioningly.  
Ayumi in returned smiled brightly and took off her cap.  
Yoshiki blushed at the sight of her hair slowly touching her shoulders like petals.

Ayumi  
[Since we've come to this...  
There's only one way!]

Ayumi tied her hair into two high ponytails that made her look four years younger.

Ayumi  
[Let's go!]

Ayumi led Yoshiki to walk normally toward the security counter.  
Ayumi lowered her head to meet the security guard behind the counter.  
The guard was a kind-looking old man with sparse grey hair.  
His small built made him much more approachable.  
Yoshiki relaxed a little when he realized the security guard was not the big scary man he had imagined.  
The security guard looked bored but lit up a little upon Ayumi's smile.

Ayumi  
[Good afternoon, Mr Security Guard!]

Security Guard  
[Ara, ara, good afternoon little miss! What can I do for you?]

Ayumi  
[*smiles* I'm Saenoki Ayu and this is my brother, Saenoki Yoshi.  
We're here to look for our sister!]

Security Guard  
[Saenoki...? *checks* Ah, Ms Saenoki living on the fifth floor?]

Yoshiki  
_..! Nice one, Shinozaki!_

Ayumi  
[That's right! *concern* The truth is...  
Naho-sis has not been returning out calls for the longest time...  
Well, honestly, Naho-sis can be quite a loner..  
She only calls home once every few weeks, but at least she still calls!  
But...but.. *sobs* It's been half a year already, we still haven't contacted her...  
Mummy's afraid something might have happened to her... *sniff*  
So... *sniff* *whimper*]

Yoshiki  
_I gotta do something..!_

Yoshiki put his arms over Ayumi's shoulders patted on her head.

Yoshiki  
[*concern* Ayu... *turns to look at security guard*  
*pleading* If only you were so nice as to help us contact our sister...]

Security Guard  
[Ah... That is a big problem, isn't it? *shuffles*  
All right, little miss, wipe those tears away!]

The kind security guard bent to meet Ayumi's eyes.

Security Guard  
[This old gramps here will bring you up to find your sister,  
all right?]

Ayumi  
[*brighten* Thank you so much!]

The security guard led them into the lift while Yoshiki and Ayumi exchanged a glance.

Ayumi and Yoshiki  
_We did it..!_

The lift stopped at the fifth floor and they followed the guard out.

Security Guard  
[Now that you've mentioned it,  
I remember the owner of this building did mention that Ms Saenoki was late in her payment...  
Said she had always paid a year of rental in advance,  
but she missed the last payment date and couldn't contact her.]

He stopped right at the third door on the right and fished out his key.

Security Guard  
[Hmm... Let's see... Ah, this one...  
Excuse me, Ms Saenoki!]

The door clicked.

Security Guard  
[Please excuse me, Ms Saenoki! I'm coming in...]

The security guard enters the apartment and searched for the lights.  
He finally found it and turned on the lights as Ayumi and Yoshiki entered the apartment.  
The apartment was simple and plain looking with lots of books.  
They were not surprise to see that there were no plushies,  
or anything girly for that matter, in Naho's apartment.  
There was a photo frame on her desk with a picture of her and a bright-haired girl wearing the same school uniform.  
There was quite some dust in the room and the security guard started sneezing.

Security Guard  
[Looks like it's been unoccupied for some...tiiiiime..*sneeze*!  
*sniff* Haa... Seems like my nose's too sensitive..  
I'll be back to my post downstairs.  
Just ring me up if you need my help!]

Ayumi  
[Oh! Sure, thanks a lot, Mr Security Guard! *bow*]

The security guard left the apartment and closed the door.  
Ayumi and Yoshiki waited until the sound of his footsteps were gone.

Ayumi  
[Huuu... *brightly* Guess that's the advantage of being short!  
All right, let's do some searching then!]

Yoshiki  
[Un! ...Wow, now that I looked it...  
She sure has a lot of books! The shelves even have labels on them!  
"Spells & Charms", "Spirits & Afterlife", "Occults"...  
*pause* Hey, Shinozaki, look!]

Ayumi walked over to where Yoshiki was standing.  
Before him was the only shelf that had a glass cover.  
It was labelled "Kibiki Kou".

Yoshiki  
[This must be the works she was talking about in that library...  
Woah... She sure is a die hard fan...  
Woah! There's even a notebook about his family background...  
*read*...?! Even to this detail?!]

Ayumi looked around and found a book divider labelled "Tenjin".  
She took out a pink note book and blew away the dust on it.

Ayumi  
_This looks just like the one in Heavenly Host..._

She flipped a few blank pages until she saw an envelope.

Ayumi  
[*reads* ...H-hey Kishinuma!]

Yoshiki  
[Hmm?  
*reads* 2-7-1-0.  
Is this some kind of pass code?]

Ayumi opened the wardrobe and found a safe in it.

Ayumi  
[Yup, it is!]

She entered the number they found and the safe clicked open.  
There was a small jewelry box and a sealed file.  
Ayumi opened the jewelry box and there was a was necklace.  
It had a heart shaped pendant and a silver chain.  
The initials 'KN' was carved behind.

Ayumi  
[...Hmm... What could this mean..?]

Yoshiki  
[Hmm... Ah! So that's it!  
She wasn't just a crazy fan for Kibiki Kou, she loved him?  
'KN' has got to be 'Kibiki Naho'!]

Ayumi  
[! Hmm, well that's very likely...  
How did you even derive that?]

Yoshiki  
[Uh, j-just a wild guess.]

Yoshiki recalled the number of times he repeatedly thought Kishinuma Ayumi had a nice ring to it.

Ayumi  
[Well, I guess it's safe to assume this belonged to her then.  
Let's take this...  
...?]

Yoshiki  
[? What is it, Shinozaki?]

Ayumi  
[This file... Seem to contain many details about Heavenly Host...]

Yoshiki  
[!]

Ayumi  
[I'm going to take this with me.  
We should get going now...  
Ah, hold on!]

Ayumi grabbed a few books on charms, spells and communication with spirit.  
Yoshiki looked at a book titled "Tearing Through Dimensions" before Ayumi grabbed it with her as well.

Ayumi  
[All right, I'm done here. Let's go!]

Yoshiki  
[Woah! Hold up, how is that not going to look suspicious to the old man?  
*turns around* Here, put it into my bag.]

Ayumi stuffed the books, file and the jewelry box into Yoshiki's bag.  
They thanked the security guard and said they would come back again before they left.

Ayumi  
[Thank you, Kishinuma. You can pass me the books now.]

Yoshiki  
[Huh? *hesitate* I-I'll send you home.  
I can carry this 'til then.]

Ayumi  
[Eh? ...Hmm... Alright.]

Yoshiki had a mental victory sign and felt himself smiling inside.  
As they walked to Ayumi's house, Yoshiki was unaware of the silence,  
for in his head he played the multiple situations that may happen when he reached her house.  
He imagined scenarios of himself greeting her parents,  
and then suddenly wondered why he even thought he'd get to enter her house.

Ayumi  
[We're here.]

Ayumi's sudden announcement startled Yoshiki a little.  
Her house looked ordinary but very neat and spacious.

Ayumi  
[Erm...*hesitate*  
Would you like to have something to drink before you go?]

Ayumi  
_It's only polite that I ask, isn't it...?_

Yoshiki could feel his blood rising up to his cheeks.  
His heart was beating wildly and a smile formed on his face unknowingly.

Yoshiki  
[S-sure! *blush*  
U-uh, I mean, sure. I-I've got time.]

Ayumi  
[Sister, I'm home!  
Hmm..? She's not home? How rare...  
Well, seems like my sister's not home.  
Let's head up to my room.]

Yoshiki  
[Eh?]

Yoshiki entered Ayumi's room, thinking to himself this must all be a dream.  
It took him a while before he noticed he was standing right in the middle of her room.  
Her room was simple and surprisingly filled with a number of plush toys.  
Her walls were cream and her bed sheet was light pink.  
He did not expect that.  
He had imagined her room would be filled with pentagons or candles.

Yoshiki  
[You sure have an... ordinary room.]

Ayumi  
[Huh?]

Yoshiki  
[I was expecting, you know, pentagons and candles...  
That kind of stuff...]

Ayumi  
[W-well, I have those too!  
Just not in this room...  
Is tea all right for you?]

Yoshiki  
[Y-yeah, sure... ]

Ayumi exited the room and left a nervous Yoshiki in her room.  
He froze for a while and then started unpacking his bag.  
He placed the books neatly on her table, and noticed a drawing pad sticking out.  
He took it out of curiosity and was stunned by the picture he saw.

It was a picture of Ms. Yui, just as they last saw her.  
A heavy wound on her right heavily coated with blood,  
her facial expression filled with emotion.  
There was Ms Yui's gentle smile,  
her hair combed back by the wind,  
and her eyes, oh her eyes, filled with both fear and courage.  
Memories of the time spent with Ms. Yui came flooding into him.  
A gush of hidden emotions welled up to his chest.

Ayumi opened the door and saw that Yoshiki was holding her drawing.  
She rushed in and quickly put the tea aside.

Ayumi  
[What are you doing?!  
*snatches* Who gave you...!  
*pause* Ki-Kishi...numa?]

Tears brimmed his eyes as he stared into the space where Ms Yui's drawing once was.  
A single tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away.

Yoshiki  
[I-I'm sorry. It must have been dust...  
*pause* This drawing...  
*pause* Shinozaki, did you draw this?]

Ayumi  
[*nods*]

Yoshiki  
[*smiles* It's beautiful.]

She was left speechless.  
She had never seen anything like that before.  
Yoshiki, who was always so rough, rude and strong...  
Now he was smiling at her, his eyes so gentle...and sad.  
He was just like a painting...beautiful.  
And for the first time in her seventeen years of life,  
in her seventeen years of distrust in men other than Mochida Satoshi,  
Ayumi found her heart skipping a beat for another guy.

* * *

Kei & Aya  
[Yes Yuu-nii…]

Yuu sighed as Kei and Aya walked back into their house.  
Their father had just left the town for a business trip.  
Being the eldest son, Yuu had to play the father and the mother role.  
Truth be told, he would rather be a child and behave the way Kei and Aya did.

Cat  
[Nya~]

Yuu looked up and saw a cat on the wall.

Yuu  
[*hands signaling* Come here kitty!]

Cat  
[*jumps down and licks Yuu's fingers* Nya~ *jumps and attacks Yuu playfully*]

Yuu  
[*laughs and pats the cat* You sure remind me of…]

Yuu frozed.

Yuu  
_Remind me of… Who?_

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 4: END]**

* * *

Author  
[Hope you liked this chapter. I'm portraying the characters as how I would interpret them...  
I'm hoping they would stay close to the original, but oh well... *shrug*  
It was really intense while writing about the depression Naomi was going through.  
Naomi will probably go back and forth in dealing with her emotions...  
And as for Ayumi... I hope to get her vulnerable at some point...  
She's starting to open up to Yoshiki, and she probably will not even realize it. :3  
I don't know why but I'm feeling a little depressed now after writing... o.O  
Maybe 'cause I just wrote Naomi's depression before I submit this..  
The things writing can do to you...  
I might take a while to write the next chapter. Need some planning to make this solid...  
Oh gosh, I'm depressed..]


	5. Chapter 5

Author  
[Thank you everyone for your reviews and support!  
Just for your information, I haven't gotten to play Book of Shadows,  
and I'm only intending to do that after I finish this piece of work.  
Reason being I don't want to get confused due to possible clashing ideas between the original and mine. x.x  
After all, I do not own Corpse Party.

Note: Please note that I wrote this after playing the extra chapters from Blood Covered.

Warning: There will be a, well, uh, self-intimacy scene. :x  
You have been warned.  
This is too, going to be a rather depressing chapter...  
Well at least for the first part.  
Then some steam for you before I end the chapter.  
Once again, you have been warned.]

* * *

His head hurt ever since the day he died.  
Had he known it would hurt forever after he died, he would have chosen a better way to die.  
Maybe he could have found some pills to take, or even bury himself alive.  
It would have been a lot better than this.  
He remember repeatedly banging his head against the hard glass,  
but at that moment, it didn't feel this painful.

**[FLASHBACK]**

Morishige  
[AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!]

He banged his head so hard until the glass shattered, and a huge piece cut into his head.  
His head didn't spilt open but he fell with his back on the ground, blood sputtering from the corner of his mouth.  
He was still alive.  
But the pain was agonizing, oh that sharp, piercing pain that was indescribable.  
He felt the warmth of his own blood at the back of his head against the chill of his body.  
He could feel the rapid drop in temperature. His eyes were failing him, his vision blurred.  
Then he heard the sound of a sick laughter. A very familiar voice.  
By the time the figure crouched before him, his vision was black.  
He could hear his own breathing, pacing along the figure's breathing. Heavy.  
He heard the figure muttered, 'You look pathetic, let me help you.'  
The voiced paused for a while and then he felt the figure pull the huge glass piece from his head.  
'After all, we're alike.'  
That was when Morishige Sakutaro recognized the voice of Kizami before he stabbed onto this torso with the glass piece repeatedly.

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

Morishige shut his eyes from the pain on his right side.

Morishige  
_Damn it..._

Mayu  
[Shige-bro? You okay?]

Morishige  
[..! Yeah, I'm all right...]

Morishige looked at Mayu's disfigured face then looked down at her insides.  
Mayu moved away as if to hide her body from Morishige's view.

Mayu  
[D-don't look, Shige-bro..!]

Morishige  
_I can't imagine just how much pain she feels.._

Morishige  
[...Does it hurt, Mayu?]

Mayu  
[..?]

Morishige  
[Your...wounds. Do they hurt like mine does?]

Mayu  
[...Of course it does...]

An awkward silence filled the air.

Morishige  
_What a stupid question!_  
_How insensitive can I get?!_

Mayu  
[...But...The pain reminds me that I haven't lost it...]

Morishige  
[..?]

Mayu  
[W-when...When the d-darkening...When it took place...  
I forget all about the pain...  
What overtook me was the feeling of anger...  
Of hatred, bitterness and...enjoyment. *sniff* *cry*  
A pure sense of fun...and satisfaction from killing... *sniff**hic*  
It's sick, isn't it...? *hic* I hate that feeling... *cry*  
I-I...I didn't feel like myself anymore...*hic* *cry*  
Like something evil had taken over me...*bawl*]

Morishige took her by her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.

Morishige  
[I-I'm sorry, Mayu...]

Mayu  
[It would have been easier to just let it take over me...  
But...but...*cry*  
I wanted to be the same Mayu that Shige-bro knew...!]

Morishige  
[...! Mayu...!]

Girl In Red Dress  
[Hehehehehehe... What a touching story...]

Morishige  
[..?! Who are you?!]

Mayu  
[...! I-it's you...  
Yuki...]

Morishige could feel Mayu tremble with fear in his embrace, and realized it was one of the spirit who murdered her.  
He stared at Yuki with caution as she approached them with a seemingly nice smile.

Yuki  
[Hello, big sister. I'm surprised you still remember me...  
But you know...]

Yuki zapped and appeared before them, grabbing Mayu by her pony tail and pulled her toward her own face.  
Yuki's intact eye bored into Mayu's intact eye with fierce intention of breaking her apart.  
Then she smiled menacingly.

Yuki  
[*giggle* It's Sachiko now. I mean, look, I even got a new red dress...]

Mayu  
[Aaahhh! I-it hurts, Yuki..!]

Yuki  
[I said...it's SACHIKO!]

Morishige caught Mayu in his arms as the new Sachiko flung her against the wall, reenacting Mayu's murder.  
As if realizing what she had done, Yuki's expressions changed.  
Her only eye went wide open and her lips were quivering with fear.  
She put her hands over her head and started screaming.

Yuki  
[NOOOOOOOOOO! I'M KANNO YUKI! I'M NOT SACHIKO!  
NO...NOOOOOO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]

Morishige and Mayu stared at her as she went into a frenzy.  
It was as if there was two personalities inside of her, both trying to take control of the mind.  
Her arms suddenly hung on her shoulders like a doll and she slowly looked up at them.  
She looked hysterical with her only eye opened and a wide smile, giving off a murderous intent.

Yuki  
[Hee hee...Hehehehehehe...  
Hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!]

Yuki turned around and staggered as she walked, her arms flimsy, as if she were drunk.  
Her laughter echoed through the hall as her red figure disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 5: START]**

Ayumi laid down on her bed and her mind replayed the scene where she first saw a boy cried.  
She did not expect her drawing to have moved someone so much,  
much less someone like Yoshiki who looked so tough.  
She was secretly happy about it and felt as if she was one step closer to her dream.

Ayumi  
[*softly* 'It's beautiful', he said…]

She pictured Yoshiki's tough face with his eyes softened.  
His smile was so sad and gentle it did not suit his bleached hair at all.  
Yet right at the moment,  
Ayumi remember thinking he was so beautiful like a piece of art.  
Intriguing. Captivating. Delicate. Strong. A paradox.  
She got off her bed, grabbed her drawing pad and a pencil.  
She started sketching.

* * *

Yoshiki sighed.  
How could he have shed a tear before a girl?  
And what more, right in front of the last girl he wanted last to see him weak!  
His face reddened with frustration and he plopped onto his bed.

Yoshiki  
[*mutters* But that drawing was so terrifyingly beautiful…]

He recalled the details of the drawings,  
Ms. Yui's injuries, the shadows and all that emotions in her eyes...  
The gentleness, the bravery, the determination...  
Just right before she fell and left them...  
He felt his body tremble as the memory rushed back to him.

**[FLASHBACK]**

Yoshiki pushed against the door as the ground shook.  
The tremor was so bad he could hardly stand,  
but the thought of Ayumi being stuck in that dark room all alone worried him more.  
It took him a while before the door finally relented and he rushed it.

Yoshiki  
[RAAAHH! *pant* *pant*  
…Shinozaki!  
…! Ms. Yui!]

He saw Ayumi climbed up Ms. Yui's body onto the safe ground,  
and it shocked him to see that most of the floor had fallen and Ms. Yui was literally left hanging.  
Her fingers were bleeding from latching onto bare ground,  
and Yoshiki noticed her right arm was bleeding very badly.  
Her arm shook uncontrollably from the intense pain shooting into her body.  
The earthquake was so bad he had to grab onto the nearby walls to prevent himself from falling.

Ayumi  
[Grab her hand!]

Ayumi screamed, her face wet from her tears.  
Yoshiki struggled and staggered his way towards Ayumi and Ms. Yui.

Ms. Yui  
[No, don't! I'll climb up on my own!  
This floor could collapse at any moment...  
You two need to get out of here!]

Yoshiki looked into Ms. Yui's eyes and saw the determination on her face.  
It was as if he could read her mind because he knew exactly what Ms. Yui was thinking at that moment.  
The ground was too shaky and they had nothing stable to hold onto.  
It would be way too dangerous to try to pull Ms. Yui up.  
It was also possible that the rest of the floor might just collapse.  
It was plain that the best option was to run.

Ayumi  
[But…]

Ms. Yui  
[DO IT!  
And Kishinuma…  
Take care of Shinozaki!]

Yoshiki saw the pleading looking on Ms. Yui's face,  
and then she smiled like she knew she could count on Yoshiki.  
Yoshiki bit into his lower lip and the pain kept him focused.

Yoshiki  
[Ms. Yui…!  
Rrrg…  
Shinozaki! Come on!]

He pulled Shinozaki with all the strength he could muster,  
and felt as if his chest would burst from guilt and shame.  
His mind was torn apart.  
He wanted so much to give Ms. Yui a hand and pull her out into safety,  
but he knew it was more important for him to keep Ayumi safe.  
If Ayumi were to disappear on him, he might just go mad.  
He knew this would be exactly what Ms. Yui wanted too.

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

Yoshiki put his left arm across his head and shut his eyes tight.  
He recalled the desperation and frustration he felt on that night when he first returned home from Heavenly Host.  
There was no one for him to turn to, to talk to.  
He was all alone in his apartment with no one to depend on but himself.  
He hid under his pillow to stifle his cries, as if there were people in the room.  
He remembered calling out Ms. Yui's name repetitively that night.  
It hurt him badly to know that his actions had indirectly cost a life.  
Every time when he blamed himself,  
an image of Ms. Yui's kind smile would pop into his head,  
as if she was saying he did well and was proud of him,  
that he didn't let her sacrifice go to waste.  
Just as it is now, he saw Ms. Yui's face in the darkness.  
Her smile was so pure that he knew he was blameless.

Yoshiki  
[*mutters* Thank you...Ms. Yui...]

And he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was late, and Satoshi had never been this late.  
Yuka laid on Satoshi's bed, hid under his comforter and clutched onto his bolster.  
She closed her eyes and took a sniff. It smelt like her brother.

Yuka  
[Brother... Where are you..?]

Her voice trailed off her at her obvious question.  
Yuka felt her heart squeeze at the thought of Naomi in her brother's arms.  
She knew it, she had always known, that Satoshi loved Naomi.  
It had always been clear to anyone, and even more so to Yuka.  
Yuka had always observed her brother because she loved him.  
She loved him since she was little and looked up upon him as a brother she could depend on,  
but over the years as she grew up, the feelings started to evolve.  
Her heart would start racing and she found herself breathless countless of times.  
When she watched romantic scenes on the screen,  
she would imagine herself to be the heroine,  
and Satoshi would be the hero who would embrace her and kiss her so dearly.

Yuka squeezed the bolster as if it was Satoshi.  
She knew it would never work.  
It became even more apparent ever since they came back from Heavenly Host.  
Before, Satoshi would unknowingly mention about Naomi,  
and every time he did that, Yuka would pout and change the topic to herself.  
Satoshi would then laugh and pat Yuka on her head.  
She was jealous but all those bad feelings would go off the moment Satoshi touched her.  
But ever since they had come back,  
Satoshi hardly mentioned Naomi but Yuka knew he was thinking about her all the time.  
Sometimes, he would smile to himself and the next moment,  
his eyes would look so sad and worried and Yuka knew it has got to be about Naomi.  
She liked Naomi. After all, Naomi was a kind person.  
She was worried about Yuka even while they were in Heavenly Host and Yuka knew it was genuine.  
But she hated Naomi because she was taking her older brother away.  
Satoshi was late tonight and she knew he has got to be with Naomi.

Images of Satoshi appeared in her mind and she could feel her heart racing,  
her body warming up in his bed.  
She took a deep whiff and imagined herself in his arms.  
His smell was all around her, engulfing her.

Yuka  
[Brother...*blush*]

Yuka squeezed her eyes and reached into her pants.  
She could feel herself damp and started rubbing herself.  
Her breathing became staggered and heart was pumping so hard she could feel herself jerk.

Yuka  
[*moan* B-bro...ther...  
*gasp* Brother...  
*moan* S-satoshi...!]

Then Yuka stopped abruptly.  
She covered her face with her hands, still wet with her product, and cried.  
She knew he was never going to be hers.

* * *

Naomi soaked herself in the bathtub and felt herself enjoying the warmth.  
Satoshi had just left her house after spending the entire evening with her.  
Her mother did not seem to mind his company and even looked pleased.  
She brushed across her arms and suddenly blushed at the thought of Satoshi.

**[FLASHBACK]**

They slowly broke away from the gentle kiss, Satoshi's face still cupped in her hands.  
Her face was heated and she knew she was probably bright red.  
She opened her eyes to peek at Satoshi and what she saw made her catch her breath.  
He wasn't smiling nor was he blushing.  
His lips were slightly apart and his breath was heavy.  
His eyes were fixed onto hers and she suddenly realize they were full of desires.  
That was the first time he looked so sexy.  
Naomi caught herself not breathing and just staring back at him,  
her entire body heated up with awareness of how he was looking at her.  
It all happened so quickly that Satoshi had grabbed her and kissed her again.

She couldn't push him away. She didn't want to.  
She felt his tongue at the tip of her lips and so she opened her mouth and felt herself quivering.  
He seem to know full well of what he was doing so Naomi let him do the work.  
She was too weakened to do anything anyway.  
Her eyes flung open as she felt a jolt went through her as he slowly kissed her neck.

Naomi  
[..! S-satoshi?!]

Satoshi  
[..Mmm...Just a bit more, Naomi.]

The way he said her name made her shudder.  
Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might just suffer an attack and just die right at that moment.  
It would be too good a way to die.  
As if that wasn't enough, Satoshi looked into Naomi, his face serious and sincere.

Satoshi  
[I wanna show you how much I love you,  
that you'll always have me.]

He kissed her on the lips again then slowly moved down to her neck.  
The heat was causing her to perspire a little but it felt so good it was sending chill down her spine.  
It felt as if she might just get a fever soon.  
She could feel his lips on her chest and it surprised her.

Naomi  
[..! W-wait, w-wait!  
Satoshi!]

But he wasn't listening.  
He had kissed her down to her breasts, his chin tugging at the opening of her top.

Naomi  
[Ah..! S-satoshi!  
Ah! S-stop!]

She was fighting between moaning and stopping.  
It finally reached a point she gasped in horror when Satoshi fondled her roughly with his big hands.

Naomi  
[..! SATOSHI! *slap*]

Naomi managed to slap him across the face and wake him from what seem to be a trance.  
He froze for a long while, his mind unable to access what was going on.  
After what seemed like a long time, Naomi saw a deep red appearing on his face.  
His face was so red she could almost see smoke coming out of him.

Satoshi  
[I-I..I'M SO SORRY!]

He bowed to her and apologized.  
He couldn't believe what he had done.  
Why couldn't he control his carnal self?  
It was all her fault for seducing him in that low cut top that perfectly shaped her breasts.  
And her neck, oh her bare neck.  
Why did her hair had to be so short as to exposing that fair skin?  
He had warned her, but she didn't heed his advice and went on tempting him by kissing him.

Satoshi knew he was at fault for not controlling himself.  
He had failed her by defiling her against her wishes.  
He had expected her to give him the cold shoulder, but she only shook her head embarrassment.  
It was such a torture to stay in the room with her alone.  
The heat in the room was suffocating him.

Naomi  
[I-I'm sorry... For slapping you...]

Satoshi  
_What? _  
_Oh gosh, please, don't tempt me again..._

Naomi  
[I guess... I'm just not ready...  
*blush* *smile* Give me some time, all right?]

Satoshi looked at Naomi, sighed and smiled gently.

Satoshi  
[Let's...take it slow then.  
*pause* *blush* W-well, that means lots of kissing...  
To practice, of course! So you'll get less nervous.]

Naomi nodded her head, her face still red.

Satoshi  
[*shrug* But you'll have to be... more covered the next time.  
After all, your body's beautiful and you're very attractive...  
*blush* W-well, at least to me...]

Naomi  
[... *blush* I'll try my best, I guess...]

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

Naomi could feel her entire being being heated up upon that recollection.  
Satoshi had always been gentle to her.  
She had never expected to see Satoshi this...sexy.  
As if it would help to cool her head, Naomi sunk into the water.

Naomi  
_Stop thinking about, you perverse girl!_  
_Stop it, stop it, stop!_

She gasped for air and then got out of the bathtub.  
She dried herself and changed into her sleepwear and went into her room, just to catch her cell phone ring.  
She reached out for it on the desk and saw a message from Satoshi.

Satoshi  
_[I'm terribly sorry about today!  
I don't know what came over me...  
I totally lost control of myself.  
I hope you won't hate me for what happened today...  
To be honest though, I really liked it.  
Kissing you and touching you, that is.  
But it's fine if you're not ready! I'll wait.  
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you.  
I'll wait for as long as it takes.  
Goodnight.]  
_

Naomi read the message and warmth filled her heart.  
She held the phone in her arms and slumped onto her bed.

Naomi  
[*mutters* Satoshi...]

Her mind was filled with Satoshi, with happiness, that she drifted off into a deep sleep.  
It seemed he cured her of her insomnia.

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 5: END]**

* * *

Author  
[I decided to just upload this while sorting out the fine lines to the plot.  
I don't know when I will upload the next chapter.  
I guess I'll just upload when I can, so be patient with me...  
(It make take up to two weeks for the next upload, I'm really not sure.)  
Well, you can expect to at least meet Naho and Kurosaki.  
Seiko and the rest will reappear, of course, and I will have one exclusive excerpt for Kizami. :3  
So Kizami fans, watch out. You might want to shun from it in case it's not exactly what you want. ^^;  
All right, till then~]


	6. Chapter 6

Author  
[Well, Kizami fans- be warned.  
My portrayal of Kizami can be rather nasty. ^^;  
Other than that, please enjoy.

Also, I mentioned that I will finish this before I play Book of Shadows- I meant it. ^^  
I have already planned the ending to this story. I just need to get my details to the plot development right.  
Don't want to rush, which is why I'm taking my time to plan through.  
Be patient with me, and I hope I can produce something good with this.  
Do send me some reviews- it really does cheers me on. (Thanks to those who did! ^^)  
All right, I'm done talking here. Please enjoy.]

* * *

He was different.  
Even though he was hidden behind the shadows of his elder brother and sister, he knew he was different.  
He knew he was born different, born to do something greater.  
It had always been the geniuses who were ostracized because they were different.  
His solitude only proved one thing and one thing only - he was a genius.  
He had different thought flow that were not readily accepted by the masses.  
It was understandable, just as how Einstein was mistaken an idiot by his teacher.  
His value of life was clearly different from everyone else's.  
It irked him badly that he had to behave like a normal person and listen to his elder siblings.  
He only did it because he knew that the time wasn't ripe.  
It wasn't his time to shine.  
He always felt that when the time and place is right, he would feel it.  
And that was exactly how he felt when he arrived at Heavenly Host Elementary.  
He saw that he no longer had restriction in expressing.  
There was nothing stopping him anymore.  
There were no more laws and no need for conformity.  
No more older sister or older brother.  
Just Kizami Yuuya at his very core.  
A genius murderer at work.

He was enjoying it.  
Tricking the people around him, playing with their feelings and emotions, before finally betraying them by killing them- it was exhilarating.  
The look on their face when they realized who Kizami truly was: that was priceless.  
Especially that guy, Kurosaki Kensuke.  
Friends, he said.  
The idea was even laughable.  
But that guy punched him in his face. Kizami admited that Kurosaki had guts.  
Kizami heard him shout at him but the single thought that went through his mind was:  
To get rid of his guts.  
And he did.

The memorable victims had to include her.  
What was her name again?  
Oh, right, Yuka. How could he ever forget?  
Yuka was so easy to trick.  
Looking at her crying face just made him tingle all inside.  
All he had to do was to smile at her, create some story about finding his lost young sister, and there she was: baited.  
Oh, Yuka, sweet and innocent little Yuka.  
The perfect little sister for him who would love his elder brother so much until his last betrayal.  
Oh, yes. That look of fear on her face was so delicious.  
When she woke up mid-way through his dissection of Kurosaki, Kizami realized she had wet herself.  
She was shuddering, her eyes widened in fear and her screams stifled.  
Delicious: The perfect little sister.

Away she ran and quick she was.  
Kizami could almost hardly catch up.  
But of course, he had allowed her to outrun him.  
It was always been the chase that made the entire murder classier.  
When finally, she was right before him and in his reach, he felt a heavy thud on his head and he collapsed.

When he regained his consciousness, he saw his own corpse on the floor.  
The quickly decomposing corpse that once belonged to him seemed so foreign.  
The back of his head was cracked open and his shirt soaked in his own blood.  
Kizami stared at his corpse with disgust and a single word rang in his mind:  
Weak.  
Then he smiled.  
Now that his shell was gone, there was no stopping him.  
Kizami Yuuya had never felt more alive.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 6: START]**

Yuka stared into the mirror as she brushed her teeth.  
Her eyes were swollen with bags under her eyes.  
She was tired.  
When she was awake, she would worry about Satoshi.  
And when she was sleeping, Kizami would haunt her.

Her brother skipped dinner and did not reach home until late.  
When he reached home, Yuka remembered he looked flustered and all red.  
He looked so embarrassed and cute and that somehow broke her inside.  
She cried herself to sleep, only to wake herself from a nightmare.  
In her dream, Kizami was chasing after her with a lunatic laughter that still rang in her mind.  
Kizami looked so real as if he might just popped out from her nightmare and haunt her in real life.  
The blood stained knife he was holding, that endless abyss in his eyes and his crooked smile.  
His bloodthirsty voice echoing her name along the halls.  
Yuka shook her head vigorously.

Yuka  
_Heavenly Host is all over now, Yuka..._  
_He can't get you anymore..._

Yuka rinsed her mouth and soaked her face into her palms.  
She gently patted the side of her cheeks.

Yuka  
[Come on, Yuka! You gotta be strong!  
Um! *nods*  
All right, let's go!]

Yuka opened the door and Satoshi was standing right outside the bathroom.

Yuka  
[A-ah! Big brother! G-good morning!]

Satoshi  
[Ah, good morning, Yuka.  
...You look...terrible.]

Yuka  
[...! Big brother!  
That's a terrible thing to say to a girl!]

Satoshi  
[Ah! Y-you're right!  
I'm sorry, I'm sorry!]

Satoshi patted Yuka on the head and smiled apologetically.  
Yuka could feel a warm across a chest and somehow her spirit was lit up.  
She smiled brightly at Satoshi.  
He entered the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush and topped it with toothpaste.

Yuka  
[You're up early today, big brother!  
You usually sleep in on Sundays!  
Do you have something on today?]

Satoshi nodded his head while brushing his teeth.

Satoshi  
[Gyah. Meeging Yohiki and gee rest in schoo.]

Yuka  
[Ah, is that right!  
..? But isn't the school closed today?]

Satoshi rinsed his mouth.

Yuka  
[..? What are you up to, big brother?  
Ah! You must be doing something fun!  
How could you leave Yuka out of this?  
Hey, hey, big brother! Can Yuka come along, please?]

Satoshi washed his face.

Yuka  
[Pleaseeeeeeee...?  
Please, please, please, pleaseeeeeeeeee!]

Satoshi smiled meekly at Yuka.

Satoshi  
[I'm sorry, Yuka.  
It'd be good if you'd stay home today, all right?]

Satoshi  
_I can't put Yuka into any more danger..._

Yuka  
[...A-all right...  
...*hesitate*  
*whisper* ...Is...is Naomi going to be there?]

Satoshi  
[..? What?]

Yuka  
[...It's nothing. *smile* I'll go help mummy with breakfast!  
Come down soon for breakfast, all right?]

Satoshi  
[Ah! About that...  
Could you help me tell mum that I'm having a brunch at a...a fr-friend's house?]

Yuka  
_... Friend, huh?_

His face was red, his palms were sweaty and his eyes refused to look into Yuka's.  
This only meant that he was thinking about Naomi.  
Yuka looked away from Satoshi.

Yuka  
[...Un.]

Yuka ran away before Satoshi could see her expression.  
Yuka could feel her heart becoming cold, her eyes bored onto the ground.  
Her big brother was going to meet some girl's parents and have brunch in her house.  
A girl he liked. A girl he would turn red for. A girl who would make him all nervous and sweaty.  
A girl that would make him smile to himself. A girl that he loved.  
And that girl wasn't Yuka.  
The idea of that killed something inside of her.  
Why were they blood related?  
If she were born out of the family, would he had loved her instead?  
Then she smiled and whispered to herself.

Yuka  
[I'm such an idiot.]

* * *

She ran.  
As far as she could, as fast as her legs could handle.  
Something was chasing her.  
It had no figure, just a great black mist, yet something about the mist was so frightening.  
It was so dark it was as if it would suck you in like a black hole, engulf you into its body and finally suffocate you to death.  
It was so close to catching her and she knew it was only the matter of time before it would get to her.  
Ayumi could feel her heart squeezed tight, her breathing difficult and an ache started on her right side.  
Her vision was clouded and and her body could not keep up with her desired speed, but she knew she had to run.  
She ran.  
The beam of light seemed so far away, the route so long and narrow. It was endless.  
The terrible thought of having to run forever made her dizzy but she could not stop running.  
Then she tripped over her own leg and fell.  
Ayumi turned around and saw the mist approaching her.

Ayumi  
[No...No...NOOOOO!]

A shadow warped in light appeared before her and blocked her from the mist.  
The mist took it in and disappeared.  
That was when Ayumi woke up in her bed.  
Her breathing was uneven and she could feel her cold sweat running down her spine.  
It was a nightmare.

Ayumi  
_...W-what...What was that dream?_  
_It seemed so... So real..._  
_And that figure that saved me... _  
_Why does it feel so... familiar?_

The door opened slowly and a head popped into the room through the door.

Hinoe  
[Ayumi? Are you all right? I thought heard you scream.]

Ayumi  
[..! Hinoe-sis! It-it's all right...  
Just a nightmare...]

Hinoe  
[*worries* Are you sure you're all right?]

Ayumi  
[...Okay, maybe not...  
Just a little freaked out from the nightmare.]

Hinoe entered the room and closed the door behind her.  
She walked toward Ayumi and sat beside her on the bed.

Ayumi  
[...There was a dark mist chasing after me...  
I ran so hard and for so long in an endless route...  
And then I suddenly tripped over my own legs and fell.  
When I thought the mist was finally going to get me, something appeared and protected me.  
I think it's a person, but I don't know...  
Whatever that was, it was eaten by the black mist, and then the mist disappeared...  
It still feels so real right now...]

Hinoe put her arms around Ayumi and pulled her onto her chest and gently patted on her head.

Hinoe  
[Now, now, don't worry. I'm here.]

Ayumi  
[...Umm...  
...This used to happen a lot when I was kid, didn't it?]

Hinoe  
[..! *giggle* That is true, isn't it?]

Ayumi  
[*smiles* I remember I would cry in the middle of the night from a bad nightmare,  
and Hinoe-sis would come over and hug me until I stopped crying and fall to sleep.]

Hinoe  
[Ah...Yes, that happened quite a fair bit.  
But you don't cry anymore. Well, not as often.  
It is rather lonely. *giggle*]

Ayumi squeezed her eyes from the ominous dream and hugged onto Hinoe tightly.  
The older girl continued to brush the younger girl's hair to comfort her.

Hinoe  
[Ayumi... Did something happen recently?]

Ayumi  
[...!?]

Hinoe  
[Seems to me like you're behaving a little differently these few days.  
You don't come to my room as often as you did before and you've been stuck in your room quite a fair bit.]

Ayumi  
[...Hinoe-sis...]

Ayumi  
_I-I...I can't talk to Hinoe-sis about it..._  
_What if it endangers her...? _  
_It'll get troublesome if to many people are involved..._  
_But...There's no other person better than her to ask..._  
_But...!_

Hinoe took Ayumi into a firmer and warm embrace and patted on her head once.

Hinoe  
[Ayumi, it's okay.  
You can talk to me when you're ready.]

Ayumi  
[...! Hinoe-sis...  
Thank you...]

Hinoe  
[*smiles* Un.  
*worries* Just...don't do anything dangerous, all right?]

Ayumi  
[..!]

Ayumi  
_Indeed...Hinoe-sis' intuition is very sharp as usual..._

Ayumi said nothing in reply to Hinoe and gently pulled herself out from Hinoe's embrace.

Ayumi  
[Thank you, Hinoe-sis.  
I'm all right now! I'm sorry for waking you up...]

Hinoe  
[*smiles* Don't worry, I was up anyway. It's already eight in the morning.  
I have some...business to do today.]

Ayumi  
[..? Again? But it's Sunday...  
Hinoe-sis, you've been out a lot recently...]

Hinoe  
[*smiles* Yes, indeed. I have a client who requires special attention, you see.  
Well, I'd better get going.  
You should sleep. It's Sunday after all.]

Ayumi  
[Ah, I will.]

Hinoe stood up and walked toward the door.  
She opened the door, then stopped and turned around to look at Ayumi

Hinoe  
[*worries* Be...safe, all right?]

Ayumi  
[..? Ah, uh, yeah.]

Hinoe  
[Well then, I'm going off.]

Ayumi  
[Have a safe journey!]

Hinoe closed the door behind her and walked down the stairs to the entrance.  
As she stepped out of the house, she could not shake off that uneasy feeling she had.  
A black limousine stopped before her house and she smiled at the vehicle.  
A tall man dressed in black soon got out of the car and approached Hinoe.

Bodyguard  
[Good morning, Ms. Shinozaki.  
Mistress is waiting for you in the car.  
This way, please.]

Hinoe  
[Of course.]

She entered the car and smiled at her client while the door closed.

Client  
[Good morning, Ms. Shinozaki.]

The client was a high school girl with dark shoulder length hair.  
Her long fringe was clipped neatly to the side with a red colored star-shaped hairpin.  
She pushed her glasses up to have a clearer look at Hinoe.

Hinoe  
[Good morning. *smile*]

Client  
[Sorry to have to disturb you on a Sunday morning.]

Hinoe  
[Please do not worry, it is no problem at all.  
It is my honor and privilege to work with someone as young and talented as you.  
After all, there aren't many teenagers around who has published as many books as you...  
My little sis is even a fan of yours, Ms. Saenoki.]

Naho  
[Please, Ms. Shinozaki. *smile* Naho will do.]

* * *

Ayumi waited outside the school gate.  
It felt rather weird to be dressed casually near the school compound.  
It was even weirder to see the school so vacant and quiet on a sunny afternoon,  
even though it was Sunday, and no one comes to school Sundays.  
She checked her white tee shirt again to make sure it wasn't stained with the curry sauce from her lunch.  
She checked the time. They were late.

Yoshiki  
[Yo!]

Ayumi looked up and saw Yoshiki walking toward her.  
He was dressed in a plain white tee with a red checkered shirt as an outer layer, a pair of caramel brown berms and a pair of sneakers.  
He looked rather refreshing with his bleached blonde hair.  
Ayumi found herself smiling and almost waved at him, but decided to stay neutral.  
Being too friendly to a guy would give the wrong impression.

Ayumi  
[You are late!]

Yoshiki  
[Ah, sorry, sorry!  
I was doing some laun...*blush* I-I just had something to do!]

Yoshiki wasn't just about to tell Ayumi he was late because of laundry.  
He looked at her dressed in a plain white top and a pair of denim shorts.  
Her hair was tied into a single high ponytail instead of her usual pigtails.  
Somehow, revealing the side of her neck made Ayumi look refreshing.  
Yoshiki found himself heating up again.

Ayumi  
[...? Well, whatever.  
Where's Mochida and Nakashima?]

Yoshiki  
[Satoshi said he's picking Nakashima up...  
They should be here any time...  
Ah, there they are!]

They were both dressed in jeans, Satoshi in a green tee and Naomi in a yellow top.  
They held hands as they walked toward Ayumi and Yoshiki.  
Ayumi could feel her heart squeezed a little.  
Yoshiki looked worriedly at Ayumi.

Ayumi  
_I'm...all right!_

Ayumi clenched her first, took a deep breath and shouted.

Ayumi  
[Hey! You guys are late!]

Yoshiki smiled alongside with Ayumi and waved at the couple while they hurried over.

Satoshi  
[S-sorry that we're late!]

Ayumi  
[Well, well...  
Ice cream treat's on you two after this! Heh heh!  
All right, let's go!]

Ayumi turned around to face the steels of barrier before them.

Naomi  
[How are we getting in?]

Ayumi  
[*shrugs* Well, we'll have to climb.]

The group checked to make sure there was no one around to see their break in.  
Yoshiki offered to climb over and then helped everyone else get over the gate.  
Ayumi searched for a window, tried pulling it gently, and then opened it.  
She smiled and took out a piece of gum with a tissue paper.

Yoshiki  
[..?! D-did you actually placed it there?]

Ayumi  
[Duh, of course! Did you think it had magically appeared there?]

Yoshiki  
[Woah, Shinozaki... I'm impressed.  
Invading homes and schools...  
You could be an A-grade criminal.]

Shinozaki  
[That's rude, Kishinuma!  
It's called the smarts! Come on!]

They entered the school from the unlocked window and entered their classroom.  
Ayumi took out two packets of salt from her bag and instructed Satoshi and Yoshiki to line the salt along the walls.  
Ayumi then took out candles, a lighter and a pink chalk from her bag.  
She drew a huge star and put 5 candles, one on each point of the star.  
She gave Naomi the lighter and instructed her to light the candles.  
Ayumi went on the draw a circle around the star and scribbled illegible words and symbols.

Ayumi  
[All right, let's form a circle within the pentagram.]

Yoshiki, Ayumi, Naomi, Satoshi.  
Ayumi reached out for a tiny box in her pocket.  
It was Naho's necklace. She placed it in the center of the star.  
Then she raised her hands and signalled Naomi and Yoshiki to hold her hands, one on each side.  
Yoshiki felt his heart race a little and wondered if Ayumi would realize his palm was sweaty.  
Satoshi smiled at Naomi, held her hand and gripped it tight, as if to assure her it would all be okay.  
Then he noticed Yoshiki's sweaty palm.

Ayumi  
[Let's begin.]

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 6: END]**

* * *

Author  
I bet everybody's like, [..!? What the heck is Naho doing in the real world?!]  
Take a chill pill, I will reveal it all...in the later chapters.  
This is why I had to take some time to plan through the story... -_-'''  
I'm really putting in too much effort for a fanfic, aren't I...  
Oh well, have fun guys. I'll see you guys soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Author  
[Sorry it took a bit more than a month for me to update this one!  
My Macbook completely broke down and I lost all my data.  
Including my drafts... Baaaaaaah.  
Plus, I was busy with work and all, so I really didn't have time to sit and re-plan...  
All right, enough excuses.  
There's a major plot twist- YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.  
Read on your own discretion.  
Please have fun reading!]

* * *

Even as a ghost, she could almost feel her heartbeat increasing and a cold chill down her spine.  
Kizami Yuuya was dangerous.  
He did not just kill the living- he tortures the dead.  
She remembered the countless times where he had caught her and strangled her over and over again.  
Those were the times she remember almost giving in to the darkness around her,  
the times where she almost succumbed to evil in her,  
yet somehow she managed to keep her sanity.

She felt almost magical to be able to hold the little boy in her arms.  
She had never been seen, much more touched, by any living thing since she was dead.  
She stared at the boy who was gasping and choking from his tears and found herself still amazed by the fact that he saw her,  
that she could touch and even hold him.  
He reminded her of her very own younger brother.  
Her very own Yuu.  
They look completely different.  
Yuu was tanned and always had a messy and cute bed hair.  
And this boy, his hair was short and neat, and his skin fair like porcelain.  
Yet that was something in him that seemed strangely familiar.

Seiko  
[...Hey boy, you okay?]

Boy  
[*choke* *cough* *pant* *nod*]

Seiko  
[Y-you're safe... Well, at least for now.  
*worry* We really got to get your legs fixed up.  
You aren't going anywhere with those wounds of yours...]

Boy  
[*nod* *cough* *pant*  
T-thank you, big sister...]

Seiko  
[..! *smile* Un! No problem!  
You can always count on this big sister! Hehe!  
My name is Shinohara Seiko, what's yours?]

Boy  
[Yone-Yoneyama... Shuuya... *pant*]

Seiko  
[Ah...Shuu-chan... Shall I call you Shuu-chan!]

Shuu  
[U-uh, un! *excited*  
Everyone calls me Shuu back home... *sniff*]

The boy clenched his fists and held back his tears.

Seiko  
_...! He must be thinking about home... _  
_It looks as though he's going to cry any time now._  
_What a mature boy... To hold back his tears like this..._

Seiko  
[All right! Shuu-chan it is then! Come on, Shuu-chan!  
Let's get you to the infirmary for now.]

Shuu  
[U-un! *struggle*  
O-ow..!]

Seiko  
[You okay?]

Shuu  
[Yeah, I-I'm all right.]

She knew it was a kind lie to keep her from worrying,  
for his face looked paler than before and his lips were turning dark.  
She looked at the stab wounds on his legs.  
They looked rather deep and she would not be surprised if it might have burst his vessels.  
To see the small body withstand a pain like that broke her heart.  
That was it- their similarity.  
They were both young, but mature.  
They both want to be protected, but they would do their best so as to not worry her.  
She smiled to herself.  
Even if it was a bad thought, Seiko was somehow glad that Shuu was with her.  
She bent down before him and signaled him to get onto her.

Seiko  
[Come on! Let big sister give you a piggy ride!]

Shuu  
[E-eh?! Th-that's fine! I-I can manage it...]

Seiko  
[Don't be silly! Those wounds are deep.  
Don't strain yourself and lose your ability to walk!  
Come on, get up now before I lose my temper!]

Shuu  
[...A-all right... *blush* T-thanks, big sister.]

Seiko  
[*smiles* Ehehehehehe! No probbie!]

Before they could move forward, a shadow appeared before them.  
It was limping toward them as the light flickered around him.  
His eyes were sunken and dark, and his head held low.  
The teenage boy with no guts stopped right before them.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 7: START]**

He noticed how sweaty Yoshiki's palms was and it finally occurred to him it is about to begin.  
For that moment everything around was so silent he could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat,  
starting off slow and steady in a momentum as in Newton's cradle,  
then it slowly accelerates into the beating of the snare drums.  
He noticed the air was thick and the wind was loud like a warning,  
yet the fire lit on the candles were still burning like undying flames.  
Satoshi found himself perspiring and his palms were wet.

Ayumi  
[Do not let go of your hands until we are done talking to her,  
or her spirit will escape from here. *breathes in*  
'I command the spirit, Saenoki Naho, of whom the token belonged to,  
rise from below the ground and heed my cry!  
Answer to me or your wretched soul be condemned,  
satisfy my thirst of knowledge and free shall you be!']

A wild free blew and across the class room and the flames wavered dangerously.  
Naomi was tempted to let go off Satoshi's hand to cover her face from the rough wind.  
They turned their face away from the direction of the wind.  
Then the wind ceased and the turned to look at the center.  
The flames grew weaker and smaller.  
They waited. The wind stopped. The air still.  
The flames extinguished.  
They froze for a very long time but nothing else happened.

Ayumi  
[T-this... This cannot be it...]

She let go of her hands and moved backward, unable to comprehend the situation.

Ayumi  
[It...didn't work. Why? W-why didn't it work?  
Everything was done perfectly... The candles, the salt, the pentagram...]

Naomi  
[M-maybe we got some detail wrong?]

Yoshiki  
[Y-yeah! That's very possible!  
Come on, Shinozaki. Let's check the spell book again!]

Ayumi went toward her back and took out a thick brown leather book.  
She flipped the worn out pages and turned to the page marked with a pink label.  
She scanned through the page.

Ayumi  
[I-I don't get it... I followed everything according to this book...]

Satoshi  
[Could this book be a scam?]

Ayumi  
[It couldn't be!  
Naho wouldn't value such a book!]

Ayumi shows them the markings and notes made by Naho all over the book.

Ayumi  
[Besides, I found this exact same spell over the internet.  
People had reviewed that this spell worked.  
But of course, we do not know how true it is...  
So I was pretty sure it's the real deal after I read this book from Naho...  
*frown* Just where did I go wrong? *frustrated*]

Satoshi  
[Maybe we could try again?]

Naomi  
[Yeah, class rep! Let's try it again.]

Ayumi  
[U-un...]

They lit up every candle and formed their circle once again.  
Ayumi calmed herself down and this time look down at the spell book at her feet.  
She read it out loud and slowly, taking note to her enunciation to every word.  
Once again, a gush of wind blew but then the silence came and the flames vanished.  
Ayumi broke off from the circle and dropped to her knees.

Ayumi  
[Just why...?]

Naomi  
[Maybe she really isn't dead...?]

Yoshiki  
[That can't be it. We obviously saw her spirit in Heavenly Host!]

Satoshi  
[Maybe it's simply because she's in another dimension...  
And we can't call anyone from another dimension...]

Ayumi shook her head.

Ayumi  
[I did a lot of studying.  
A token is to be represented as a sacrifice for the dead to cross dimensions...  
And that's the box...  
It would have been burnt if it worked...]

Yoshiki opened box and found the necklace just as it was before.

Yoshiki  
[*shrug* Well... We must have gotten some thing wrong somewhere like what Nakashima said...  
A detail like the size of a token, the number of candles or the color of candles, I don't know!]

Ayumi  
[*whisper* ...The name.]

Naomi  
[...? Did you say something, Shino-]

Ayumi  
[The name. It must be wrong...!  
That's the only thing that make sense!  
Argh! Why didn't I thought that Saenoki Naho could have been her pen name!]

Naomi was startled by the discovery and she was disappointed.  
Her eyes looked into nowhere and her mind drifted away.

Naomi  
_Seiko... _  
_Seiko..._

Naomi's thoughts kept chanting Seiko's name for she was too emotional to think about anything else.  
Just when they thought they could contact someone from Heavenly Host, the plan failed.  
Satoshi noticed how distant Naomi looked and grabbed her hands and squeezed.  
Almost like a defibrillator, Naomi awoke from her trance-like moment and her eyes had life in them again.  
She looked into Satoshi's eyes and he smiled at her, as if saying, 'It's gonna be okay'.  
She gave a tiny smile and nodded.

Satoshi  
[Why don't we call it a day for now?  
We could go research some more about the spells and find out Saenoki's real name.]

Yoshiki noticed how disappointed Ayumi was and she wasn't responding to Satoshi.  
He worried for her.  
Ayumi had always been the kind of girl who was always too hard on herself.  
She was stubborn and never allowed any room of weakness.  
Even in dealing with Satoshi's rejection, she never really spoke to anyone about it.  
The only time she expressed her disappointment was that day where she ran into Yoshiki's embrace  
and hit him on his chest continuously as if to cover up her sadness.  
He has got to cheer her up somehow.

Yoshiki  
[*nod* Yeah, that'd be good...  
Shinozaki, why don't we go back to her apartment and search.]

Ayumi  
[...Okay.]

As the group tidied up the classroom, Yoshiki looked at Naomi and noticed that she looked pale from the shock.

Yoshiki  
[Satoshi, why don't you bring Nakashima home to rest?  
*smirk* Don't think I forgot about your desert treat though!  
We'll do it another day.]

Satoshi  
[...Yoshiki...  
*smiles* Sure.  
*whispers* Thanks.]

Yoshiki  
[*whispers* No problem.]

Satoshi offered to help dispose the rubbish as he walked Naomi out of the classroom.  
Yoshiki and Ayumi were left in the room.  
The air in the room was tensed and Ayumi kept in silence.  
Yoshiki decided to wait even though the silence was almost unbearable.

Ayumi  
[... *softly* Let's go then.  
*brightens* I can't just let this put me down!  
There must be a way, I know it.  
Come on, Kishinuma. Let's go back to Naho's apartment!]

Yoshiki smiled.  
She was strong indeed. That was exactly why she had always been so attractive.  
She was obviously small and weak, but she never let herself look vulnerable.  
Yet something inside of Yoshiki wished she would let her guard down a little more,  
or at least in front of him.  
Whatever the case, he was glad she was fired up again.

Yoshiki  
[Sure, let's go.]

* * *

The high school girl with dark shoulder length hair sat on a tall single-seat sofa.  
The sofa was made of deep red velvet and resembled a throne befitting of a royalty.  
The girl laid back against the sofa and made herself comfortable.  
Her pentagon hair pin shone a deep dark red, dimly lit by a few candles surrounding her.  
Hinoe lit up a incense burner and the aroma of lavender filled the room.  
Naho closed her eyes and took a deep sniff.  
The smell entered through her nostrils and reached into her brain, commanding her body to relax on its own.

Naho  
[This...is lavender, isn't it?  
*smiles* It is a pretty scent.]

Hinoe  
[*smiles* Yes, it is, indeed, Ms Saenoki.  
Now, if you would just close your eyes and relax yourself as much as you can...  
Just listen and follow my voice.  
Now you're very relaxed... You're situated in a grassland... A lavender field...  
You could smell it and you could feel the breeze against your face...]

Naho  
[...It's a lovely sight...]

Hinoe  
[It is, isn't it?  
Now... As you walked across the field, you noticed a house before you...  
What does it look like?]

Naho  
[...It's a..hut. A straw hut...]

Hinoe  
[Good, good...  
Now you walk closer to the hut and you push open the door gently...  
You walk to the hut and close the door behind you.  
What do you see?]

Naho  
[...I see... Me.  
I mean, I see a mirror..  
And there's my reflection... But a little different...  
The hair is shorter... My fringe is almost covering my eyes...  
The eyes are harder... I look determined...  
I look like me... But I know it's not me... It's something else that looked like me...]

Hinoe  
_So...this is it... _  
_She wasn't lying at all..._

Hinoe  
[Ms Saenoki, could you please tell me more about yourself in the mirror?  
Look closer, is she saying anything?]

Naho  
[...Uh..Umm...Her lips are moving...  
I think she's trying to tell me something...  
'My...name...is...' *shakes*  
What? What's your name?  
No...She's leaving! She just turned around, she's leaving!  
...! Sh-she...She's gone...]

Hinoe  
[Calm down, Ms Saenoki...  
Now, just calm yourself down and close your eyes...  
When I count to three, you will be back with me, all right?  
One...Two...Three...]

Naho slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her.  
The dark red ceiling with black flowery patterns on it.  
She looked down and stared at Hinoe who was seated before her in a similar sofa to hers.

Hinoe  
[How do you feel, Ms Saenoki?]

Naho  
[...All right, I guess?  
I didn't imagine her, did I?]

Hinoe  
[Well, I don't supposed you did...]

Naho  
[So she does exist, doesn't she?  
That girl... Who looked like me... She did exist, didn't she?  
All those dreams I had of her... The images of times spent with her...  
They were real, weren't they?]

Hinoe  
[...]

Naho  
[But mother and father said I was the only child.  
I had no twin, not even a miscarriaged sibling...  
Or have I gone mad to even imagine a doppelganger who never existed?]

Hinoe  
[Ms Saenoki...  
Sometimes, things happened beyond what our physical eyes can see...  
And I supposed that's what's happening to you and... Your other half.  
I don't think you made her up. I have tried dozens of spells and hypnotism with you and draw to only one conclusion-  
The twin you see in your dreams is real.  
As to why only you could remember her... That I am not sure...  
*grimace* But my gut feeling tells me, she might not have existed in this world anymore...  
And the fact is that only you, who is bound to her by blood and spirituality, can remember her.]

Hinoe  
_If I am not wrong... Her spirit...her soul..._  
_Must have been lost somewhere else..._  
_Somewhere that is not of this world..._

Naho  
[Is it..is it possible to bring her back then?  
Ever since that day I woke up... I just lost it all.  
I did not remember why I wrote those books I wrote...  
They didn't feel like my own works...  
Those were my names... And the content familiar...  
But I know I didn't write them. I wasn't the one writing them...  
It must have been the other me that wrote those books...  
Without her... Saenoki Naho will not be able to write anymore...]

Naho grabbed Hinoe's hands and look her in the eyes, pleading.

Naho  
[Please... Ms Shinozaki... *squeeze*  
It's more than just the books... The other me...  
She feels very important to me... I feel like a part of me is missing without her...  
You got to bring her back somehow!]

Hinoe  
[Ms Saenoki...]

Hinoe  
_Well... If my assumptions are not wrong..._

Hinoe  
[Well then, Ms Saenoki. *smiles*  
We'll have to get you to a few more hypnotic sessions.  
We'll have to pry open the barriers in your mind and get her name.]

* * *

Ayumi  
[Good afternoon, Mr Security Guard!]

Security Guard  
[Ah, little miss, it's you! I've been waiting for you.]

Ayumi  
[..? Waiting for me...?]

Security Guard  
[Yes! Please wait a bit.]

The security guard turned around and entered a door behind him.  
He did not return until what seem like five minutes later and appeared from a door outside his post.  
He pushed a trolley piled with a few boxes out from the door.

Security Guard  
[Sorry to keep you waiting! These are Ms Saenoki's belongings.  
Her rent payment was three months late and no one could contact her,  
so the management had decided to evict her from her apartment.  
We were supposed to throw these out because we couldn't contact her or her family...  
Well, she didn't exactly leave us any contact to her family members...  
But anyway, I decided to keep it here for another week before I throw it,  
in case you two decide to come along...]

Ayumi and Yoshiki opened their eyes in wide surprise.

Ayumi  
_This might actually work better for us..!_

Ayumi  
[I-I see... All right, I guess we could keep them...  
Right, Yoshi-nii?]

Yoshiki  
[U-uh, un! *bows* Thank you so much, sir!]

Ayumi bowed alongside with Yoshiki and the security revealed a kind smile.

Security Guard  
[No problem! Oh, just... *whispers*  
Keep this a secret between us, all right?  
The management wouldn't be happy to find out I've entrusted these to someone else without official papers,  
even though they were supposed to be thrown away...]

Yoshiki  
[Sure, you can count on us!]

Ayumi  
[Thank you, Mr Security Guard!]

Ayumi and Yoshiki opened the boxes and checked the contents.  
There were three boxes filled with books, one with a few sets of clothes  
And the last one was filled with random items such as photo frames, envelopes, jewelries and stationary.  
They decided to take the boxes with books and random items and loaded them onto a cab.  
The cab drove right to Ayumi's house and Yoshiki helped to bring them home.

Ayumi  
[Sis, I'm home!  
...? She's not home again?]

Ayumi  
_Well, that works better for me I guess..._  
_I won't have to explain about Kishinuma..._

Yoshiki  
[W-where do I bring these to?]

Ayumi  
[Ah, right. My room. Ah, wait! Give me a second.]

Yoshiki stood outside her room and waited, his arms feeling the strain from carrying the box filled with books.  
It seemed like eternity until she finally opened the door to her room and let him in.

Ayumi  
[A-all right, you may come in.]

Yoshiki entered her room and noticed it looked emptier than before.  
The stuff toys were put away and the desk was neat- there were no books popping out.  
He noticed a new shelf by the side, occupied with a few books which he realized were Naho's.  
He finally put the heavy box on the floor beside the shelf and Ayumi entered with the lightest box of random items.

Ayumi  
[Well, Kishinuma, there are two more boxes downstairs that are way too heavy for me to handle.  
Could you get them for me?]

Yoshiki  
[S-sure.]

Yoshiki went down and brought up the remaining boxes before they heard the sound of main door opening.

Hinoe  
[I'm home!]

Ayumi  
[Hinoe-sis, welcome home!]

Hinoe  
[Ah, Ayumi... I see that we have a guest?]

Hinoe looked at the Yoshiki's shoes and then at Ayumi.  
Ayumi looked a little flustered and Yoshiki popped his head out of Ayumi's door.

Hinoe  
[Oh my, what a surprise.  
*smiles* I'm Hinoe, Ayumi's elder sister.  
Nice to meet you...?]

Yoshiki  
[*bows* Kishinuma! I'm Kishinuma Yoshiki.  
Please to meet you!]

Ayumi  
[*frowns* H-he's just here to help me...  
With some...u-uh, school work.  
Please, don't misunderstand!]

Hinoe  
[*chuckles* I haven't said anything, have I?  
Hmm, isn't mum home yet?]

Ayumi  
[*shrugs* Still at work, I guess...]

Hinoe  
[Well, it's almost time for dinner.  
Guess I'll be main chef tonight.  
Would you like to stay for dinner, Kishinuma-kun?]

Yoshiki  
[EH? S-sur-!

Ayumi  
[No! I mean, Kishinuma is probably has dinner at home, we should hold him-]

Yoshiki  
[I live alone, actually.]

Ayumi  
[Oh...Right. But we shouldn't hold him up.  
He's probably busy!]

Yoshiki  
[W-well, I happen to be free tonight!]

Ayumi glared at Yoshiki who returned a half-smirk.  
Hinoe chuckled.

Hinoe  
[Well, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra company, would it?]

Ayumi frowned but a faint pink flush appeared on her cheeks as she stormed into her room.  
Hinoe laughed lightly and stopped Yoshiki before he returned to Ayumi's room.

Hinoe  
[Kishinuma...Yoshiki, right?]

Yoshiki  
[Y-yes...It is.]

Hinoe  
[*smiles* I'm very pleased to have meet you...  
*whispers* My sister is very cute, isn't she?]

Hinoe teased the reddened Yoshiki and urged him to go back to Ayumi's room and she walked down to the kitchen.

Hinoe  
[Kishinuma Yoshiki, huh...]

Hinoe  
_*smiles* So he's the one... It's undeniable... The thread of bond they have..._  
_*saddens* But there's a faint ominous aura surrounding the thread..._  
_But...I'm sure they'll overcome it somehow..._  
_I hope._

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 7: END]**

* * *

Author  
Well, I'm hoping to update weekly from now on, but pardon me if I don't manage to do it.  
Let me know how you like this new chapter and it's twist of events.  
Well then, till I see you next time! ;D


	8. Chapter 8

Author  
And the story continues.

* * *

Seiko and the boy, Shuuya, stared at the dead that was slowly advancing toward them from the darkness.  
Shuuya shuddered and Seiko could almost feel a trickle of sweat down her spine.  
The boy with no guts slowly emerged into the light.  
His pale skin did not suit his spiky outdoor hairstyle.  
There was blood oozing from the side of his lips.  
His insides were opened then hanging like meat pieces on sale at the wet market.  
Shuuya's face turned paler and he could feel his own insides coming out from his mouth.  
He swallowed hard, but his head felt faint and losing so much blood was not helping him stand well.  
Seiko noticed Shuuya was trembling badly and held him by the side.  
It was a long staring game until the boy with no guts spoke.

Boy Without Guts  
[H-hey. What's up? *grin*]

Seiko and Shuuya blinked their eyes, unable to comprehend what the boy without guts wanted.  
They looked at each other and then back at the boy before them.  
The boy without guts shrugged and tried to hold his hanging guts.

Boy Without Guts  
[L-look, I'm not hostile. *shrug*  
I guess I'm just... I don't know, looking for company?  
I've been walking past so many living but I think you are the only ones that could see me.  
*pause* ...Oh wait. Only one of you is living. And the other one...  
You're bleeding badly aren't you?]

After taking a closer look, Seiko noticed that the boy's eyes were clear and bright, even determined.  
There was a kind of innocence in his eyes and she realized the boy has yet succumbed to the darkening.  
Seiko heaved a sigh of relief.

Seiko  
[Yes... We need to find him a place to rest and... I don't know, tidy up?  
Maybe a sick bay with some painkillers might help him too.]

Boy Without Guts  
[Well, there's one right behind me. *smile*  
I've been roaming there for a while, waiting for people to appear.  
But most of them don't see me... *shrug*|  
Well, follow me!]

Seiko looked at Shuuya whom smiled weakly at her.  
She noticed his breathing has gotten staggered and his eyelids were heavy.  
It look like he really could use a good resting spot before he passes out.  
Seiko decided to take on the bet and follow the Boy Without Guts.  
They entered the sick bay that was just twenty steps away from where they were.  
It looked exactly like the same one Naomi and Seiko had entered from before, just a little more...used.  
Seiko looked at the two beds stuck together in the corner and remembered Naomi's voice.  
Her bright smile, her gentle eyes and her melodious laughters... A sad smiled appeared on Seiko's face.  
The Boy Without Guts helped to carry Shuuya onto the bed.  
He noticed her sad smile and threw Seiko an extensive first aid kid he found.

Seiko  
[Hey! *snap* I could have dropped it! *stares*]]

Boy Without Guts  
[Hehe- but you caught it!]

Seiko  
[*roll eyes*  
...Woah... That's a lot things you've found!  
Antiseptic, cotton buds, bandages... Even threads and needles!]

Boy Without Guts  
[Heh. Told you I roamed around here.  
*shrug* I even tried to offer these to some living who entered,  
but as soon as they see the kit plop before them, they run.  
Oh well, can't blame them being scared of a floating kit, I guess. Heh.]

Seiko  
[Hahahahahahahaha! *pause* Ahem.  
D-do you think you could get some pain killers?]

Boy Without Guts  
[Oh, just a second!]

The Seiko took out the antiseptic cream and applied onto the light wounds on Shuuya's face and limbs.  
Her face grimaced as she look at the alcohol and the needles before her.  
Shuuya noticed what she was staring at and swallowed.

Shuuya  
[I-it's okay. I can take the pain...]

Seiko  
[...Shuu-chan...  
*smiles* What a brave little boy!]

Seiko felt a tight squeeze in her heart as she looked at Shuuya's weak and gentle smile.  
The Boy Without Guts returned with some painkillers.

Boy Without Guts  
[There's no expiry date on it so it might be long expired...  
But well, better than nothing, right? *smiles*  
*stares* You're gonna be all right with...sewing him up?]

Seiko stared at Shuuya who jerked at the word 'sewing'. She shrugged.

Seiko  
[*shrug* I gotta do what I gotta do...]

Seiko  
_Though honestly... I don't know what I'm doing..._  
_I'm a little scared actually... But saying this wouldn't help Shuu-chan..._

The Boy Without Guts saw that Seiko's constipated expression and decided she was probably scared.  
Afterall, she was a girl. Though a dead one.

Boy Without Guts  
[...Well, let me do it.]

Seiko  
[Huh? B-but...]

Boy Without Guts  
[I see we have some trust issue here.  
*shrug* Look, I know it's hard to find a kindred spirit like yourself but hey,  
you're not all that special all right!  
There ARE others like you. For example,  
ME! *laugh* Come on, just trust in me this on this!]

Seiko hesitated for a bit before she finally relented after Shuuya tugged her and nodded in approval.

Boy Without Guts  
[Well, take the painkillers and buckle up boy!  
*disgusted* Argh... Your wounds are sure bad...  
*shrug* Well, not like I look any better...]

Shuuya  
[*chuckle weakly* You're funny, big brother...]

Boy Without Guts  
[Am I? Hehehe. *pause*  
Well, before we begin... Shuu, right?]

Shuuya nodded.

Kurosaki  
[Well, my name's Kurosaki Kensuke.  
Sorry for the scare from before...  
All right, let's begin!]

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 8: START]**

Voice  
[Naho! Naho!]

Naho  
[Hmm?]

Voice  
[*chuckles*]

Naho  
_I saw flashes of images. A smile. A pentagon clip. A pair of glasses. A skirt. A whiff of short hair. _  
_It was her, the girl who looked like me. The girl whom I loved. _

Voice  
[It's happening! We've agreed to do it next Saturday!]

Naho  
[Eh? What? Really?]

Voice  
[*brightly* Um! Finally... It's happening...]

Naho  
_She held my hand and squeezed a little. _  
_I felt a comfortable warm spreading across my chest and found myself smiling. _  
_I was happy. _

Naho  
[Yeah, finally... It's what we've been waiting for...  
After two years of hard work...]

Voice  
[That's right... We'll finally get to know the truth behind the school and...]

Naho  
_She paused. I knew what she was thinking. I was thinking the same. _  
_She was hurt. She must have felt loneliness._

Naho  
[Don't be silly! *brightly*  
I'm here for you right now, aren't I?]

Voice  
[Naho... *smiles* I'm so glad I found you...]

Naho  
[*nudge* Oh? Are you sure it's just me you're glad you found?  
What about Sayaka? *pause*  
Or Kibiki Kou?]

Naho  
_I waited for the blush to appear. _

Voice  
[*giggle* Yeah, him too.]

Naho  
_She paused a little, took both my hands into hers, and look me in the eye._  
_I now see clearly that even though we look the same, we were not quite. _  
_Her eyes are sharper and her face smoother. _  
_Her nose is slightly longer than mine and her lips slightly thinner. _

Voice  
[I'm going to do this for him...and us.]

Naho  
_I smiled. _

Naho  
[Thank you, Na-]

Naho slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at the plain ceiling.  
She was lying comfortably on her king size bed that was far too big for her.  
She had been dreaming of a past that once was hers.

Naho  
[W-wha... Just what was I going to call her?]

* * *

Yuu  
[Mew~ Mew~ Where are you kitty?]

Yuu beckoned and a tabby cat appeared from the corner.  
Yuu lowered himself and a placed a metal bowl in front of him.  
The cat approached cautiously, sniffed, and observed in alert before it decided that it was safe.  
It hastened its pace a little toward Yuu, took a few sniff at the bowl before finally licking the milk from the bowl.

Yuu  
[There you go... *smile*]

Yuu watched the cat drink from the bowl with a big smile across his face.

Yuu  
[Oh! Right before I forgot...]

Yuu reached into his bag and fished out a can food.

Yuu  
[*grin* Heh, I got you a little treat!]

Yuu opened up the can and placed it before the cat. It went almost immediately to the food.  
As the cat furiously gobbled the content in the can, Yuu timidly touched the cat on its head.  
After a few light tries, Yuu relaxed and daringly stroke its head.  
The cat stopped eating and moved its nose toward Yuu's fingertips.  
Yuu could feel its damp nose against the tip of his fingers moving.  
Then it licked Yuu's fingers. It was tingling sensation.

Cat  
[Nya~]

Yuu  
[*smile* W-we're friends now, right?]

Cat  
[Nya~]

Yuu  
[Hehe, all right. What should I call you...?]

The cat resumed to its meal while Yuu remained squat before the cat.  
He dug into the back of his head, trying to come out with a name suitable for the cat.

Yuu  
_I'm so sure you remind me of someone... But who?_  
_Oh well, that's not important, I guess..._  
_A name... Hmm... Sara? Mimi? _

Yuu  
[... *whispers* Seiko.]

Yuu surprised himself a little from his silent mutter.  
The cat stopped eating its food, look up at Yuu and cried.

Yuu  
[...Y-you like it too, huh?  
... *smile brightly* All right then! Seiko it is!  
Nice to meet you, Seiko!]

Cat Seiko  
[Nya~]

The cat finished its food and moved elegantly toward Yuu's legs.  
It brushed itself against his legs and purred.

* * *

Yoshiki was especially nervous after meeting Ayumi's elder sister who promptly teased him after they met.  
He had been staring at the same paragraph off one of Naho's book for the past half an hour.  
He just was not able to digest the content.  
His mind was occupied by the idea of being alone with Ayumi in her room.  
He took a peek at the girl who was completely absorbed into reading and hadn't realize he hasn't been flipping the pages.

Ayumi struggled in getting focus after Yoshiki met her elder sister.  
She did not know why she felt red or why her heart was pumping a little unusually hard.  
This, however, felt different to her heart stirring moments when it came to Satoshi.  
Sure, the feelings, even the pain, had started to fade but she hadn't forgotten that squeeze in the heart.  
Or the sweat in her palms, the giddiness in her head.  
This was a little different. The heart pumped hard, her face felt flushed with fever, but her palms weren't awfully sweaty and her head was clear.  
She did not understand the feeling, did not pry herself into understanding it either.  
She didn't want to know how exactly she felt.  
She tried hard to chunk the feeling she had and the book finally caught her attention after a good ten minutes.

Yoshiki did not realize but a smile started to form on his face as he looked at Ayumi with gentle eyes.  
He had always liked this sight of her-  
The slight creases between her browns, her bright and curious eyes, the occasional smiles that formed on her face whenever she read something interesting.  
Watching her bury herself into reading has a somewhat peaceful and calming effect on him,  
and he started to wonder how great it would be if he could do this all the time-  
then the thoughts and he snapped back into his book when Ayumi looked up.

Ayumi  
[...What were you looking at?]

Yoshiki  
[*blush* N-nothing.]

Ayumi  
[...Humph, whatever. Anyway, look...]

Yoshiki felt his heart pumping a little faster when Ayumi moved and sat beside him.  
His body shot up straight when he felt Ayumi's arm against his as she moved the book between them.  
She pointed at a few words and Yoshiki tried to concentrate, but his mind was completely blocked off by the sound of his own heartbeat.

Ayumi  
[It says in this book that for any curse or spell to work, three things are needed. An object of representation, a chant and an offering.  
And right here- *point*  
There, 'an offering may come in forms of material AND non-material things'.  
*flip* Here's an example they gave... 'the sacrifice of the offering must be of equal value to the spell to act as a form or exchange'.  
So I was just thinking about the Sachiko Happy Ever After chant...  
Could it be the sacrifice to the chant was our 'existence'?]

By then, Yoshiki was completely absorbed into the conversion and started reading off from the book Ayumi was showing him.  
He could heart his own heart beating against him for a completely different reason.  
His mind started to comprehend what exactly Ayumi was saying, and the dread fell over him.

Yoshiki  
[Does that mean... The moment we entered Heavenly Host, we were erased?]

Ayumi  
[*shrug* Well, it's just a possibility, base on this book... But it would all make sense.  
Our 'existence' in exchange for 'existing in another dimension'.  
It's like the dimensions doing an exchange...]

Yoshiki  
[...It's not just that, isn't it?]

Ayumi  
[...?]

Yoshiki  
[I mean... If your theory is right...]

Ayumi stared at Yoshiki whose face turned pale and his expression solemn.  
She had never seen him carry such an expression before and found herself fearing for what he was about to say.  
Just as he was about to continue, there was a gentle knock on the door.

Ayumi  
[Y-yes?]

Hinoe  
[Dinner is ready. Do come down soon!]

Ayumi  
[A-all right! Be right there!  
*turn* Sorry, you were saying?]

Yoshiki  
[...Never mind. It was nothing.]

Ayumi  
[...? You sure?]

Yoshiki  
[Yeah. *smile* Come on, we should go down for dinner.]

Ayumi  
[...! Well, y-yeah! Just...  
Just don't say it like that!]

Yoshiki  
[Huh? Like what?]

Ayumi  
_Like it's natural!_

Ayumi  
[N-nothing! Let's go down...]

Ayumi stood up and walked toward the door.  
Just then, Yoshiki caught her hand and pulled Ayumi gently toward him.  
She was alarmed and almost back away until she realized he was nervous.  
He squeezed her hand and she could feel his hand sweating.  
She noticed his cheeks were red and his eyes were shifty.  
Even though the room was air-conditioned, he seemed to be perspiring.  
His lips trembled as though he was mumbling, but no sound came out.  
Ayumi stared at Yoshiki and wondered what he was thinking, holding her hand.  
A sudden impossible thought occured in her mind and she blushed.

Yoshiki  
[Y-you... You do know I'm here for you, r-right?]

Ayumi  
[... *blush* H-huh?]

A heart beat.

Ayumi gently shrugged off his hand, her face still red from the unexpected heart beat.  
The one that was way too familiar.

Ayumi  
[W-we should go down.]

Ayumi left the room and Yoshiki stared at the space where Ayumi was standing.  
His heart beat slowed down and paced normal.  
His hands stopped sweating and his face less red.  
He frowned slightly and a solemn look appeared on his face.

Yoshiki  
_If her theory is right... Damn it!_  
_...Then when we came back, there surely had been another exchange too..._  
_Something became a sacrifice..._

Yoshiki stared at the desk where he first saw Ayumi's painting of Ms Yui.  
A worried and sad look appeared on his face.

Yoshiki  
_Please... Let it not be them..._

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 8: END]**

* * *

Author  
Sorry this took rather long as well...  
But good news is- I have finished outlining the entire plot.  
So you should be expecting a regular update.  
Do continue to read and review.

A shout out to Anonymous Reader:  
Thank you so, so much for your support and constant review that always make my day.  
Thanks for being so patient with me.  
It's nice to know that someone out there is still reading this.

And to the rest of ya'all, see you.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Flashback is an excerpt from Corpse Party: Blood Covered Extra Chapter 5.

* * *

**[FLASHBACK]**

Ayumi  
[So come on, tell me: Is it true you don't have boyfriend?]

Ayumi and Ms Yui were alone in the classroom after school.  
Ayumi had been dying to know about Ms Yui's love life.  
It had always been a girl thing to exchange interesting secrets.

Ms Yui  
[Heehee. It is. I live a sad, lonely life.]

Ayumi  
[Hmmm?]

Ms Yui  
[...Though I did go out with a charming young lad when I was in high school...]

Ayumi gave an excited squeak and jumped toward Ms Yui.

Ayumi  
[I knew it! Heh... Give me all the juicy details!]

Ms Yui  
[I'd meet up with him in the third floor walkway everyday, wearing a uniform just like yours.  
Ahh, memories... I was so young back then! *giggles*]

Ayumi  
[That's a good spot.  
It's quiet, and you can see the whole town from there.  
Seems nice and romantic.  
So...what kind of person was he?]

Ms Yui  
[Hmm. let's see... Well, for starters, he was really kind.  
Though he had a rather brusque way of speaking that did him no favors in coming across that way!  
But I guess, where it counted, even his harsh words had a certain element of kindness to them.  
Sometimes, I felt like I was the only person who truly understood him...  
Heh, listen to me boast!]

Ayumi sighed and looked away dreamily.

Ayumi  
[That's so sweet...  
So? *cheeky* How far did you get with him?]

Ms Yui  
[Well.. Sorry, I never kiss and tell!  
*whisper* Though just between you and me...  
We never actually kissed!]

Ayumi  
[ *disbelief* Whaaat?]

Ms Yui  
[We got super nervous...so just holding each other's hands was enough.]

Ayumi  
[*giggle* I'm the same way.]

Ms Yui  
[Hmm-hmm. Though I guess...  
When we were holding hands, I felt like our hearts were connected.  
And that's all I needed. I was satisfied.]

Ayumi  
[Awwww...so cute! *sighs*]

Ms Yui  
[Probably pretty lame by today's standards, though!  
Hehehe...]

Ayumi  
[Not at all. I think it's wonderful.]

The door opened abruptly and a tall blonde figure entered the room.

Yoshiki  
[Heya, Ms Yui. I brought the day duty roster.]

Ms Yui  
[Ah, Kishinuma...]

Ayumi  
[Grrrr...and we were just getting to the good part...]

Yoshiki  
[Hmm? Oh, hey Shinozaki. What are you doin' here?]

Ayumi  
[What does it look like? I'm talking with Ms Yui!.]

Yoshiki  
[So you are. Seems like you two are really having a blast, at that.]

Ayumi  
[Just get out of here! This is between us girls!]

Yoshiki  
[Whatever you say!  
I'll leave the roster right here, if that's cool.]

Ms Yui  
[Thanks!]

Yoshiki left the classroom and closed the door behind him gently.

Ms Yui  
[...Say, speaking of day duty...  
Weren't you scheduled with Kishinuma for today?]

Ayumi  
[Huh? Was I?]

Ms Yui  
[*giggle* He's such a good boy...]

Ayumi  
[...Who is, now?]

Ms Yui  
[*giggle*]

**[FLASHBACK END]**

Ms Yui giggled to herself from reminiscing that particular day with Ayumi.  
She wondered to herself if Yoshiki had the courage to tell Ayumi about his liking for her.  
It was very clear and obvious to herself.  
He was patient and kind toward Ayumi in his own little ways,  
but because of his blunt nature, it was not easily seen.  
And Ayumi... She had always been found of Satoshi.  
It wouldn't be a surprise if she had not noticed Yoshiki's fondness towards her.

Rina  
[Ms Yui?]

Ms Yui  
[Ah! Sorry, sorry! I was just...recalling something.]

Rina  
[Something funny? You were giggling to yourself.]

Rina and Ms Yui were sitting side by side at the corner an empty corridor.  
They had walked for many hours and decided to find a clean spot along the corridor for a rest.  
When Rina sat down, she realized how tired she was and immediately fell into a deep sleep for a few hours.  
When she awoke, she saw Ms Yui seated beside her, giggling to herself, as if nothing wrong happened.  
As if they were back in the normal world.  
Except Ms Yui's body was see-through, and the dawned upon Rina they were still in the hell hole.

Ms Yui  
[Yes, something quite funny. *giggle*  
I was just thinking about my students...  
There was this one boy in my class who looked rather fierce and unfriendly, but he is in fact a very sweet person.  
And it was obvious to me he had taken a liking to our class rep, who has no clue about his feelings.  
Aaahhh- I wonder how they are now... *giggle*]

Rina  
[... *smile gently* You really do love your students, don't you?]

Ms Yui  
[*smile* Well, I can't say that myself... But I do think about them a lot.  
*sad smile* I just hope they're safe back home now...]

Rina  
[...I-I wish I could say I hope so too...  
But... *shrug* It's just hard to say that when I'm in this situation...]

Ms Yui  
[...! Ah, sorry... I wasn't being considerate of your feelings...]

Rina shook her head and gave Ms Yui a weak smile.

Rina  
[There's no need for you to be apologetic...  
*sigh* I just hope I can find Takuya and Shuu-chan soon...  
I wonder if they're okay...]

Ms Yui  
[Rina...]

A loud thud was heard from the other end of the corridor.  
Ms Yui and Rina snapped to look at the source and found a boy lying against the ground, his eyes wide opened and his face pale.  
His brown hair was messy, one of his sleeves torn, and one of the shoes was missing.  
He was shivering and his face was twisted and looked as if he was looking at something monstrous.  
His screams stifled, his voice panicking as his hands searched aimlessly for a weapon.

Boy  
[H-help! No, no! D-don't you come any nearer!  
M-monster! H-help! Please, d-don't!]

Rina's eyes went wide opened as she recognized the voice.  
The familiar voice that had accompanied her through her childhood.  
The voice that said he loved her and made her heart skip a beat before he bent down to kiss her.  
The voice that called out to her as she fell through into darkness before she awoke in Heavenly host.

Rina  
[Ta-Takuya?]

The boy did not recognize Rina's voice and continued crying for help.  
Rina ran toward Takuya and grabbed his hands.

Rina  
[Takuya! Takuya! It's me, Rina! Takuya!]

But he did not recognize her. His eyes were fixed on one target, the female teacher glowing in blue light.

Takuya  
[Get away, get away!]

Rina  
[T-Ta-Takuya! It's fine! Ms Yui's a nice person!]

Takuya  
[No...no!]

Ms Yui looked sadly as Rina fell onto her knees before the delirious boy who was staring right at her.  
She closed her eyes and looked away as Rina's sobs drown in his wild cries.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH: CHAPTER 9 - START]**

She stared hard at the message title.  
'No Hard Feelings'  
Her eyes were lifelessly fixated on those three words.  
Worn out from crying, her dark circles were deep and her face pale.  
Now and then, she would slowly blink her eyes from dryness, a natural response from the body.  
It had been two hours since she had sat against her bed, staring at the phone on her hand.  
She woke up five a.m. in the morning, feeling tired from the lack of sleep.  
When she tried sleeping again, she could not and decided to check her phone for any mails.  
It was a bad move. She saw the message title and started crying again.  
She eventually got tired of crying after an hour just stared ahead like a dead fish.  
Naomi's phone rang and Satoshi's name appeared on the screen.  
Her lifeless eyes shone a little at his name and she swallowed slowly before she pick up the call.

Naomi  
[H-hello?]

That was when Naomi realized she had not drank anything since she woke up.  
Her throat was dry and it felt as if her vocal cords were grinding against each other like sand.

Satoshi  
[Hey, woah, you sound...weird.]

Naomi  
[W-well,I-I just woke up.]

Satoshi  
[Eh? That's not good, I'm already here.]

Naomi  
[Eh? W-what?]

Naomi drew the curtains open, a blinding light forces her eyes close, she slowly adjusted aside and saw Satoshi waving at her from below her house.  
She quickly shut the curtains, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks as she prayed he did not spot her messy bed hair.

Naomi  
[I-I...!]

Satoshi  
[*chuckle* Don't keep me waiting!]

Naomi  
[R-right!]

She ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, petrified to find herself looking like a zombie.  
Rinse, brush, rinse, gurgle, rinse. Water, foam, water, wipe.  
She ran back to her room, dressed herself in her school uniform and decided she could do with a bit of makeup to cover up the dark circles.  
After checking herself in the mirror, she rushed out of the house without getting the lunchbox or any breakfast.  
Her mother called out and said some words but nothing registered to Naomi.

Naomi  
[*gasp* *gasp* So-sorry to keep you waiting! *bow*]

Satoshi  
[*laugh* There's no need for you to rush like that.]

Satoshi reached for her hand and held it tightly in his.  
Naomi blushed a little at his charming smile and they started walking toward school.

Satoshi  
[This is nice, isn't it? Holding hands and walking to school together...]

Naomi  
[... *nod* Un. It does feel...kinda nice.  
Thanks for coming down to pick me up, Satoshi.]

Satoshi  
[...*blush* Ahem. *cough* Well, uh, I've got something to ask you.]

Naomi  
[..? What is it?]

Satoshi  
[...*blush* Uh, w-well... How do I put this...?]

Naomi watched as Satoshi desperately searched for the right words.  
She giggled to herself. She did quite like to see him in such a dilemma.  
Satoshi cleared his throat once again and took a deep breath before the question popped out confidently.

Satoshi  
[I would like to introduce you to my family.]

Naomi froze on her tracks and stared at Satoshi, her face beaming red.

Naomi  
[W-what?]

Satoshi  
[W-well, you've met Yuka...  
But I thought it'd be nice if I could introduce my...g-girlfriend to my parents...]

Both of them blushed a deeper red at the word, 'girlfriend'.  
Naomi found her heart pounding harder and faster, her face heating up real quickly.

Naomi  
[G-girlfriend... W-well... I guess that's fine...  
*pause* ...But you're sure about this? I mean, introducing me to your family...?]

Satoshi  
[Yeah, of course! *blush* I-I mean, definitely.  
I would love for them to meet you.  
*pause* ...You do know I'm serious about you, right?]

Naomi  
[D-don't say it out loud... I-it's embarrassing!]

Satoshi  
[I-it is, isn't it...]

Naomi stopped on her tracks, her redden face dissolved, and a hesitant look surfaced as she stared across the street.  
The brown haired boy was feeding a tabby cat with a carefree smile on his face.  
Satoshi looked at Naomi worriedly, who clenched her first and walked toward Yuu.

Naomi  
[Y-you're Yuu, right?]

Yuu looked up and recognized the weird sister from the other day.  
He gave the cat a final pat before he stood up.

Yuu  
[Y-yes... You're the big sister from the other day...]

Naomi  
[That's right! Look, I'm so sorry for the other day!  
I don't know what came over me.  
You just really look like someone I...knew.]

Yuu  
[I-is that right?]

There was an awkward silence before Yuu decided to squat and go back to his tabby cat.

Naomi  
[Is that your kitty?]

Yuu  
[*blush* U-uh, well, not really... But I named her...]

Naomi  
[Oh, really? What is she called?]

Yuu  
[Um, Seiko.]

Naomi felt every cell in her blood froze.  
The name that should not be remembered.

Naomi  
[...D-did you...remember?]

Yuu  
[Remember..?]

Naomi  
[You did, didn't you... You remembered her, didn't you...?]

Yuu  
[W-who? Who are you talking about?]

Naomi  
[Seiko...Seiko...  
*raise voice* T-that's right... She's your beloved sister after all, how could you ever forget her?  
*loudly* You remembered her, didn't you!]

Naomi grabbed Yuu by the side of his arms and he stood still, frightful of Naomi.  
Satoshi intervened quickly and pulled Naomi away from Yuu, who was still had a fearful look on his face.

Naomi  
[*scream* You remembered, didn't you!]

Satoshi  
[I'm extremely sorry about this!]

Yuu watched as Satoshi dragged Naomi off the corner of the streets.  
When he looked down, Seiko had left, leaving traces of unfinished cat food.

* * *

Yoshiki had never been much of a reader, but the books that he had bought had kept him occupied for the entire day.  
After the night of revelation at Ayumi's house, Yoshiki had been obsessed with his research on spells and dimension.  
He bought a couple of books and started reading them, even during classes.

Yoshiki  
_'The key ingredient to spell casting lies not just on the ritual or following a set of rules but on spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is a magical source that emits the power to make a spell efficient. It takes many years of meditation to enhance the spiritual energy, which in turn helps in improving one's magical technique. It is worthy to take note that there is a certain level of danger to magic practitioners. It is important to get a good foundation on your spiritual energy, which converts into spiritual powers upon usage, to cast a spell. There had been cases in which people with low spiritual energy tried to cast a strong and powerful spell and gets backfired. Some backfires result in injuries, sometimes to the extent of death, for the spells would eat into your life energy. The more powerful the spell, the more spiritual energy is needed to control it, for its hunger for life energy is great.'_

Yoshiki read the page solemnly, trying to get a clear understanding of what he was reading.  
As he reread and digest the words, the greater the fear dawned upon him.

Yoshiki  
_This is not good... Not good at all..._

The door bell rang as he was reading. He looked up at the clock. It was eight, slightly after dinnertime.  
He left the book open at where he stopped reading and went to get the door.

Satoshi  
[Yo.]

Yoshiki  
[Satoshi! What are you doing here?]

Satoshi took off his shoes and entered the living room.  
Yoshiki followed behind him as he stared at the bags of groceries he was carrying.

Satoshi  
[Went to the store and found out you weren't working today.  
Well, it's been a while since we played any games.  
Thought I'd pop by with some drinks and chips.]

Yoshiki  
[Oh, sure. I hope you bought my soda.]

Satoshi  
[*smile* Sure did.]

Satoshi fished out a bottle of ice cream soda from the bag and tossed it to Yoshiki who gladly took a gulp of it.  
Satoshi then helped himself to the game console then noticed the opened book on the desk.

Satoshi  
[What's that you're reading?]

Yoshiki  
[...Some...book. Got it yesterday.]

Satoshi  
[Book? Haha, I've never thought much of you as a reader!]

Yoshiki  
[Neither did I. *pause*  
*hesistate* Hey, Satoshi... I think you should see this...]

Yoshiki went over to his desk and brought the book to Satoshi.  
Satoshi read the passage Yoshiki was pointing at and his smiling face slowly disappeared and a concerned look appeared.

Yoshiki  
[Right there, 'The more powerful the spell, the more spiritual energy is needed to control it, for its hunger for life energy is great.'  
I don't know about you, but I think this whole chant and spells thing gotta stop...  
What if it gets dangerous? I don't think we should mess with Heavenly Host...  
I mean, we've been there and it sure looks like something that hungers for life energy.]

Satoshi took a while to think through what exactly Yoshiki was saying.  
His heart felt heavy as he put down the book.

Satoshi  
[...I think you're right. We should stop meddling with Heavenly Host...  
But Naomi... She wouldn't give up until she tries all ways to get Shinohara's existence back...]

Satoshi moved toward Yoshiki's bed and dropped himself on it.  
His arms were on his laps as he held his head in his hands.

Satoshi  
[I don't think Naomi will take this very well...  
*sigh* I don't even know how long I can take this...]

Yoshiki looked at Satoshi worriedly.  
He noticed Naomi's odd behaviors- how she recently started isolating herself in class, how she started talking to herself and sometimes even cry for no apparent reason.  
But they all knew- it has to be about Seiko and what happened in Heavenly Host.

Satoshi  
[It's not easy to talk her out of it...]

Satoshi  
_Especially not when she was the one who physically killed Shinohara..._

Yoshiki  
[...Yeah, it wouldn't. *shrug* I doubt it'd be any easier to talk Shinozaki out of it...  
...! Why don't we distract them instead?]

Satoshi  
[..? What do you mean?]

Yoshiki  
[I mean, whenever they try to talk about it or do something about it, we'd just distract them!  
For example... Argh... I don't know, talk about something else?  
Oh! Or like, do something to distract them, like ice cream!  
Ice cream always work on girls, don't they?]

Satoshi  
[I see... That might work...  
But we gotta be tactful... We can't make it too obvious that we're trying to avoid the topic.]

Yoshiki  
[Yeah, I'm sure it will work somehow!  
*smirk* Especially now that you and Nakashima are officially together...  
*blush* You could easily distract her by... you know... doing stuff...]

Satoshi  
[...! *blush* W-what-!]

Yoshiki  
[Hahahahaha relax! I was just kidding.  
Well, half kidding.  
So... FIFA?]

* * *

Hinoe  
[So... Ayumi, who's the boy who came here last night?]

Ayumi almost dropped the plate she was washing when her sister popped the question.  
Hinoe calmly poured herself a cup of freshly brewed tea as she turned to observe her younger sister who was washing the dishes after dinner.

Ayumi  
[*flustered* *blush* H-he's just a friend!]

Hinoe giggled. Ayumi reaction was a little too big for 'just a friend'.  
She watched as Ayumi ears grew redder, probably from her own thoughts.

Hinoe  
[I see... Kishinuma Yoshiki, right?  
*smile gently* He has a very nice aura.]

Ayumi  
[I-is that so?]

Hinoe  
[That's right. His aura has a mixture of pale blue and...peach colored tone...  
His aura feels very calming, but very determined as well.  
There's also a tint of gentleness and sensitivity in it...  
He must be a very nice boy.]

Ayumi  
[Well, he don't look like it.  
I mean, his bleached blonde hair and sharp eyes...  
He look to me like a very fierce and blunt person.]

Hinoe  
[Oh? But do you feel so too? That he is a fierce and blunt person?]

Ayumi  
[*shrug* Well...  
I guess he is kind of a nice person...]

Ayumi  
_It didn't feel violent when he grabbed my hand last night..._  
_He was rather...gentle._

Hinoe smiled to herself at her younger sister's slightly pink face.

Hinoe  
[*softly* I hope it works out between you two.]

Ayumi  
[Huh? What? Sorry, I didn't catch that.]

Hinoe  
[*shakes head* Nothing. Just...mumbling to myself.]

A loud ringing was heard from Hinoe's mobile phone.  
She looked down at the phone screen and saw that the number was private.

Hinoe  
_It must be Ms. Saenoki..._

Hinoe  
[Please excuse me.]

Hinoe exited the kitchen and picked up the call.

Hinoe  
[Hello, this is Shinozaki.]

Naho  
[Ms Shinozaki! I finally remembered!]

Hinoe  
[Eh? What did you remember?]

Naho  
[I was taking an evening nap and I was dreaming...  
We had a conversation and then I called her name!  
I finally remembered her name- the girl whom I love...  
Her name was Nachi!]

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 9: END]**

* * *

Author  
Hope you guys liked the chapter!  
Thank you for you who reviewed- I really appreciate them.  
I might not update next week because I have a rather urgent project to do...  
I do hope to update next week though...  
Do subscribe to this story for first-hand update, yeah? ;)  
Thank ya all~


	10. Chapter 10

Author  
Word of caution to those who do not like own character.

* * *

Seiko brushed his hair and watched as Shuu slept soundly away.  
It was calming to hear his breathing.  
It felt as if they were back to the real world and that everything had just been a dream.  
Her eyes shifted to his bandages and she knew they weren't dreaming.

Kurosaki  
[Hey, what's your name?]

Seiko  
[Huh? Oh, right. I'm Shinohara Seiko.  
You're Kurosaki, right?]

Kurosaki  
[Yup, sure got that right!  
How did he get those wounds anyway?]

Seiko watched as Kurosaki packed the unused bandages away.

Seiko  
[Well... He got attacked... But another spirit...  
By one who had succumbed to the darkness...]

Kurosaki  
[...I see. And you saved him?]

Seiko  
[Well... It's funny now that I think about it...  
HE kind of saved me.  
I heard Shuu-chan screaming and rushed over to where his voice was coming from.  
I saw this spirit holding by the collar with one hand, and the other held a knife that was closing in to Shuu-chan.  
So... I shouted for him to stop.]

Kurosaki noticed Seiko was starting to tense up.

Seiko  
[Then... Then the guy... With a cracked open skull...  
He turned to look at me wi-with a smile so wide...and...evil.]

Seiko shivered as she clenched her fists from the bad memory.

Seiko  
[He laughed so wildly like a bad horror movie...  
And then I heard a loud thud and realized he had dropped Shuu-chan.  
The next moment, he just appeared right before me...  
He said something that sent shivers down my spine...  
Even now... Just thinking about it... I-I...]

Kurosaki grabbed Seiko by her arms and looked into her eyes.

Kurosaki  
[It's okay. It's over now. He's not here to harm you.]

Seiko looked into Kurosaki's eyes.  
They were so clear and bright. It's been so long since she saw someone so hopeful.  
Seiko nodded her head and managed a small smile.

Seiko  
[Well anyway...  
So when he was attacking me, Shuu-chan actually shouted for him to let me go.  
Can you believe it? He shouted for the murderer to let me go, even though I was already dead!  
*smile* I felt like more than I've saved him, he might have saved me...  
Because of Shuu-chan, I feel like I can continue to...you know, believe?]

Kurosaki turned to look at Shuu-chan who was still sound asleep with a peaceful look on his face.

Kurosaki  
[He sure is a nice kid, huh.]

Seiko  
[...Yeah. *smile*]

Kurosaki  
[Wait... D-did your attacker happen to wear the same uniform as me?]

Seiko  
[? Eh? Um... I... Well, he was wearing a shirt and a pants that looked like yours...  
...! That right, he had this purple jacket over his shoulder!]

Kurosaki  
[...Dammit. It must have been Kizami.  
Can't believe even after he's dead, he's still attacking people...  
Even the dead ones.]

Seiko  
[Is he someone you know?]

Kurosaki  
[He... *sad smile* He was my childhood friend.  
I had always thought we were best friends. But I guess it was only in my part...]

Seiko watched Kurosaki's troubled face as he recalled about Kizami.

Kurosaki  
[Since we were young, I had noticed that Kizami was...different.  
He had always got a weird perspective to things.  
*swallow*  
There was one time, I brought my new pet hamster for him to see...  
He took it from me with one hand, and the other he held a cutter.  
And he was going to cut it apart...  
There were other times where he tortured small animals...  
Cutting them, burning them, drowning them...  
I-I should have done my part and stopped him then...  
If I had done that... Maybe he wouldn't have turn out so bad...]

Seiko  
[...]

Kurosaki  
[Ever since I died, I felt like it was my responsibility.  
To make sure he killed no more... But no one could see me...  
I've been desperately trying to help, *shrug* only to scare them off.]

Kurosaki stared into space as his eyes darkens.

Kurosaki  
[But now... With everything that had happened, and all that's happening...  
I'm not even sure how long I can keep up with this insanity...]

He laughed defeatedly as a dark aura surrounded him.  
Seiko immediately whacked him on his back.

Kurosaki  
[! O-ouch! W-what's that for?]

Seiko  
[Well, grow some balls and stop whining!  
Buckle up and be a man! *whack*  
Well, *smile* you've saved Shuu-chan and I afterall.]

Kurosaki  
[A-all right... All right!]

Seiko  
[Heh! I'll sure be there to bug you when you're all depressed.  
*softer smile* In return, you can wake me when I'm about to give up...]

Kurosaki  
[...]

Voice  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !]

Kurosaki and Seiko turned abruptly to where the scream was coming from.  
They looked at each other.

Shuu  
[W-what was that?]

Seiko  
[Shuu-chan!]

Kurosaki  
[I'll go. Stay here and look after Shuu.]

Seiko nodded and Kurosaki exited toward the source of the scream.  
Seiko could almost hear her non-existing heart beating and it felt colder than usual.  
It was not long before she heard the cries from Kurosaki's voice.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 10: START]**

The room was dim and dark, lit by a single flame from an aromatic candle before Hinoe.  
Hinoe sat upright and watched the girl directly opposite her, seated in her tall arm chair.  
She noticed a slight twitch in her brows and a strained movements in her hand, and started speaking in a gentle voice.

Hinoe  
[Ms Saenoki, what do you see?]

Naho's lips trembled before they parted and breathed a single word.

Naho  
[Nachi.]

A smile then formed on her face and her muscles relaxed.  
Hinoe noticed the change and watched her carefully.

**[In Naho's mind]**

Nachi and her laughed heartily as they sat on a bench one hot summer afternoon.  
Nachi was dressed in Paulownia Academy High School uniform.  
Naho looked down at her own clothes and realized she was dressed casually in tee shirt and shorts.  
They each held an ice cream cone in their hands. Nachi's chocolate-flavored and Naho's vanilla-flavored.

Nachi  
[Your friend- they totally bought it! They couldn't tell it wasn't you!]

Naho  
[Really? Not even Sayaka?]

Naho found the words leaving her mouth naturally, as if she understood exactly what's happening.

Nachi  
[Yep~ Not even Sayaka! To think she calls you her best friend...]

Naho  
[Well, it really is pretty difficult since we're identical twins... Sometimes, I can't tell us apart.]

Nachi  
[Hahahaha! Oh you reminded me!  
Remember the first time we met? Say what? Three years ago?]

Naho  
[Three years and five months, to be exact.]

Nachi  
[Right, right, right! I remember I was out alone, walking along the streets to get some stuff, and I spotted you right before me.  
I saw you stare right at me, your face completely pale and you dropped the ice cream in your hands and started running.  
It was so hard to catch you! You were running for your life!]

Naho  
[*blush* W-well, I'd heard you'll die in an accident if you met your doppelganger. We looked so similar I thought it might have been a mirror.  
But your clothes were different, *shrug* and I didn't want to die...]

Nachi  
[Hahahahaha! You're damn right about that! Even after I caught you, you kept screaming, 'I'm gonna be dead, I'm gonna be dead!'  
I had to scream into your ears that I was your twin before you started to calm down and listen.]

Naho  
[*giggle* That was funny, wasn't it?]

Nachi  
[I wasn't ready to give up on you after trying so hard searching for you the past few years...  
...! Oh, do you want to see the photo?]

Naho  
[Eh? You brought it?]

Nachi  
[Yeah!]

Nachi took her wallet out and carefully revealed a worn out photo of a twin baby.  
Naho smiled in delight at the photo and pointed at the baby on the right.

Naho  
[That's me, isn't it! That birth mark on my left!]

The baby on the right had a three mole birthmark in a triangular shape on its left thigh as oppose to the baby on the left with a three mole birthmark on its right.

Naho laughed loudly.

Naho  
[I'd never forget how you flashed your thigh at me, showing your birthmark the first day we met.  
Everyone was staring at you pulling your skirt up.]

Nachi  
[*blush* I-it can't be helped! It was necessary to convince you.  
Besides, *shrug* I was too excited to realize people was staring.]

They smiled as they looked at their infant photo, a gentle breeze blowing at them.

Naho  
[...You know, Nachi, I tried asking my parents about this.]

Nachi  
[Oh.]

Naho  
[They didn't get my hint. Or maybe they pretended not to get my hint.  
I mean, I'm thankful to them for taking me in... But I really hope to hear the truth from them one day.]

Nachi  
[I'm sure they will tell you the truth...]

Naho  
[Yeah...]

Voice  
[Shinozaki!]

Nachi instinctively turned around and realized the dark haired girl was calling out to Naho, who was wearing her casual clothes.  
Nachi hurriedly turned away from the girl's vision and nudged Naho on the shoulders.

Naho  
[Uh...Yu-yunemura!]

Miyuki  
[Shinozaki, we got to go. Sensei's not going to be happy about you being out for so long.]

Naho  
[Y-yes, of course...]

Naho stood up and walked toward Yunemura, who trying to see Nachi's face, whose back was turned against her.  
Naho quickly nudged Yunemura to leave.  
She took a quick glance at Nachi, who gave her a wink before they left to their own ways.

* * *

Yoshiki rinsed the cloth into a bucket of water and squeezed them dry.  
He looked up at Ayumi who was sweeping the floor on the other side of the room.  
He looked at the blackboard with his name written beside hers under the duty roster. He smiled.  
He liked how that looked.  
Yoshiki took the cloth and wiped the blackboard, careful to not touch their names that were written on it.

Ayumi  
[Hey, Kishinuma.]

Yoshiki almost dropped the cloth when he heard his name.  
He immediately straighten himself and told himself to keep his cool.  
He slowly turned around to face her.

Yoshiki  
[Y-yeah?]

Ayumi continued looking at the ground as she swept the floor.

Ayumi  
[You know, I was reading online and I found something interesting.  
It's a new spell I found. Apparently it can retrieve information of others by asking the spirits.  
It's a very simple and harmless divination spell... So I thought maybe we use it to find more information about Naho.]

Yoshiki  
[...]

Yoshiki  
_There she goes... Not another spell..._  
_What do I do...?_

Ayumi  
[But I thought maybe we could just do it ourselves, you know?  
It takes at least two people to complete the spells.  
I thought maybe we shouldn't involve Nakashima, since she's doesn't seem to be in a stable condition...  
*pause* Hey, are you listening?]

Ayumi stopped sweeping and looked at Yoshiki.  
She noticed he looked constipated, his fists clenched.

Ayumi  
[A-are you all right? Is it a-]

Yoshiki  
[*loudly* Shinozaki!]

Ayumi  
[! Y-yes?]

His heart skipped a beat.  
He took a deep breath.

Yoshiki  
[Would you like to go on a date with me?]

Ayumi dropped her broom.  
Amidst the silence, her whisper was loud and resounding.

Ayumi  
[Sure.]

* * *

Yuka hummed happily as she dries her hair after coming out from the bath.  
It's been so long since Satoshi had come home for dinner with them.  
Yuka picked a pretty dress to wear at home, even though it wasn't necessary.  
She felt like Satoshi should see her at her prettiest, even if only at home.  
Her light footsteps brought her to the dining table, and she noticed an extra serving on the table.

Yuka  
[One, two, three, four, five...  
Mummy, isn't there like an extra serving?  
Who's coming? Aunty Yoko?]

Mrs Mochida  
[Eh? Yuka, didn't you know?  
I thought you dressed pretty for that person.]

Yuka  
[Eh? Who? Who? I didn't know anything!]

Mr Mochida  
[Satoshi said he's bringing a friend home for dinner.  
He even asked that I had to be home for dinner tonight.  
*laughs* Maybe it's a girl!]

Yuka froze at those words.

Yuka  
[G-girl?]

Mrs Mochida  
[*giggles* Ara, ara! Yuka's dearest oniichan might be taken!]

The sound of the door being unlocked was heard and all attention to the door.

Mrs Mochida  
[It must be them!]

She said excitedly and walked toward the door, welcoming the expected guest.

Satoshi  
[I'm home!]

Satoshi entered, and the girl followed closely behind her.  
Yuka felt the blood cold.

Naomi  
[G-good evening. Sorry to interrupt you.  
I'm Nakashima Naomi.]

Mrs Mochida  
[Ah! It's you! The girl in the photo!]

Naomi  
[Photo...?]

Satoshi  
[*blush* Ah! I-it's nothing! Come on in.]

Mrs Mochida  
[Oh yes, how rude of me. Please come in!  
Dinner's ready!]

Naomi  
[A-all right, excuse me...]

Yuka froze at her seat as she watched Naomi and Satoshi sat before her.  
Mrs Mochida took the seat beside Yuka and Mr Mochida at the end of the table beside Satoshi and his wife.

Mrs Mochida  
[It's just some simple food, hope you don't mind.]

Naomi  
[Not at all!]

The crowd spoke fondly to each other, asking about their day as Yuka was trapped in her own silence.  
She prayed silently that it wasn't what she thought it was and Satoshi put down his chopsticks.

Satoshi  
[Ahem, excuse me for a bit. There's something I would like to say.]

Yuka  
_No._

Satoshi blushed a little.

Satoshi  
[Dad, mum.]

Yuka  
_No. Please, no._

Satoshi  
[I am currently-]

Yuka  
_No... NO-_

Satoshi  
[-in a relationship with Naomi.]

Mrs Mochida applauded but the sound was vacuum to Yuka.  
Mr Mochida gave a heavy pat on Satoshi's shoulder and laughed heartily.  
They exchanged some words.  
Satoshi and Naomi smiled with their faces reddened in happiness.  
Yuka's stomach hurt. She needed to puke.

Yuka  
[P-please, excuse me-]

Yuka said abruptedly and ran off to the toilet, her hand covering her mouth, trying to suppress the vomit.

Yuka  
_This cannot be happening. _  
_It's a bad dream. _  
_It's just a bad, bad dream._  
_...This is happening._

Yuka felt the gush of emotion come out of her as she puked.  
Her stomach was empty, but she just had to puke.  
She felt too sick. Way too sick.

Naomi  
[Yuka, are you okay?]

Yuka  
[...!]

Yuka froze as Naomi appeared behind her.  
She should have closed the door.

Yuka  
[Y-yeah, I'll be fine...]

Naomi  
[Are you sure? You don't look good-]

Yuka pushed her away angrily when Naomi placed her hand over her back, trying to soothe her.

Yuka  
[JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!]

She watched as a single drop of blood dripped from Naomi's face.  
Yuka stared at her own hands and noticed some blood on her fingernails.  
Her eyes widen in surprise in what she had done.

Yuka  
[I-I... I don't... I'm so...]

Naomi cupped her cheek and smiled weakly at Yuka.

Naomi  
[It's okay...]

Mrs Mochida  
[What happened?  
...! Oh no! What happened! Naomi, are you all right?]

Naomi  
[I-it's just a scratch. More than that, Yuka-]

Yuka  
[I'm fine. Sorry. I don't feel good. I'm going to sleep.]

Yuka muttered and left upstairs. From afar, she heard her mother's voice.

Mrs Mochida  
[Oh no, let's get you fixed up.]

Satoshi  
[..! Naomi! What happened?]

Yuka entered the room and closed the door behind her.  
She dropped on her bed and closed her eyes.

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 10: END]**

* * *

Author  
Sorry for the long, long wait!  
My project is finally done!  
It took way longer and way more work than I'd expected. o.o  
I really just didn't have the time to complete this...  
A very short fluff between Yoshiki and Ayumi this chapter- but you can expect more in the next! :D  
So sorry for the long wait, and thanks for reading this!


	11. Chapter 11

Author  
The most unbelievable thing happened.  
The laptop crashed AGAIN.  
I had to go to internet cafe and now, I'm typing with my tablet. And it's not easy.  
Plus my tablet file just don't go well with the story format in FF so it's giving me a headache...  
Updated: I couldn't upload it on my tab. Had to borrow a computer to upload this... -_-  
I have switch between tablet and internet cafe (it's really hard for me to find time to head down to internet cafe).  
So I type with tablet, and upload it onto the computer and reformat everything to update. *sigh*  
SOOOOOOO. I'm sad to announce I will take much longer to update. *double sigh*  
Oh my life... :/

* * *

Seiko  
[Shuu-chan!]

Kurosaki  
[I'll go. Stay here and look after Shuu.]

Seiko nodded and Kurosaki exited toward the source of the scream.  
Seiko could almost hear her non-existing heart beating and it felt colder than usual.  
It was not long before she heard the cries from Kurosaki's voice.

Kurosaki  
[No... No way... Argh... Aaahh...  
AAARRRRGGHH! WAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!  
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!]

Kurosaki watched in the darkness with only the spirit's orb lighting up her surrounding.  
He watched as the murderess buldgeoned the lifeless corpse of a female student before her.

Spirit  
[Ha...Hahaha...Hahahahaha!  
Keke.. Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
HYAAA!]

The spirit shrieked as she struck down on the corpse before her furiously.  
Kurosaki could feel his insides rising as he stopped the urge to puke.  
He watched as the spirit slowly lift her head.  
Her throat was spilt open, her eyes grey but alive like a maniac.  
There was blood all over her uniform, but it wasn't difficult to recognize this girl with her short curly hair.  
It wasn't difficult to recognize those pink hair ties and whom they belonged to.

Kurosaki  
[Why...? Why...?  
Mitsuki... MITSUKI!]

The spirit froze upon hearing her own name.  
She slowly lifted her head and smiled wickedly at him.  
Her psychotic gaze pierced through Kurosaki's soul, sending him chills.  
She walked towards him, a bloodied hammer in one hand.

Kurosaki  
[Wake up already, Mitsuki!]

Mitsuki's face inched closer to Kurosaki.  
Kurosaki saw that her spirit no longer had soul in her eyes, and a sense of despair overwhelmed him.  
Without a warning, Mitsuki shrieked and laughed as she fumbled away with her bloodlustful weapon.

Kurosaki  
[Mi-Mitsuki... *sob* Why...WHY?  
No...NOOOOOOO!]

Kurosaki dropped to his knees and he grabbed his hair in misery as Mitsuki disappeared into the darkness.  
A dark mist formed around him as he crouched on the ground.

Kurosaki  
[Even the cheerful and gentle Mitsuki... *sob*  
What am I doing here alone?  
...Maybe it's easier to just give up.]

The swirl of darkness gradually swallowed Kurosaki in the thick mist.  
All at once, voices that spoke of hopelessness and despair filled Kurosaki's head.  
His empty heart felt heavy and depressed.  
Seiko approached the corridor and saw Kurosaki enveloped in the darkness.  
Her eyes widen and she shouted for his name.

Seiko  
[Kurosaki!]

Seiko ran toward the black mass and tried to grab hold of Kurosaki.  
The mist was so chilling yet it pierced like a burning flame.

Seiko  
[Argh!]

She felt her hand touching his arm and she grabbed onto it, unwilling to let go.  
The mist felt sandy and strong and could almost feel it tearing the skin of her arms.  
As her grip tightened, the wind got stronger and heavier.  
Seiko was alarmed when she felt the force pulling her in.

Seiko  
_...It's so strong!  
Mrgh... Oh god, it's not letting him go!  
At this rate, I'm gonna get dragged into the darkness..!_

Seiko  
[Damn...damn it!  
Didn't you say you were gonna stop Kizami and save as many people you can?]

Kurosaki  
[...I-I...can't...]

Seiko  
[...Damn it! Don't you dare lose to the darkness and leave us!  
Shuu-chan's waiting for us..!]

Kurosaki  
[...]

Seiko  
[Argh... DAMN IT!  
DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME ALONE YOU IDIOT!]

Kurosaki  
[..!]

The mist slowly lifted from Kurosaki's body and vanished.

Seiko  
[*huff* *huff*  
I almost died pulling you..!]

Seiko plopped onto ground and laid there gasping for breath.

Kurosaki  
[... *guilty* I'm-I'm sorry...]

Seiko waved her hand and gave him a tired smile.

Kurosaki  
[...T-thank you...]

Seiko got up from the ground and brushed some dirt off her skirt.

Seiko  
[No problem~  
We better get back to Shuu-chan.]

Seiko begun to lead the way back to the infirmary.

Seiko  
[We both got worried when we heard your scream.  
He said he'd be fine alone but I'm still worried.]

Kurosaki  
[Ahh... I even got him worried...  
*shrug* That sure was embarrassing...]

Seiko  
[Well, just prepare an apology!  
...And don't do anything stupid again.]

Kurosaki  
[Ye-yeah... Sorry.]

Seiko hit him hard on his back as he stumbled over a little from the impact.  
They reached before the infirmary and Seiko pulled the door open.

Seiko  
[Shuu-chan~ We're back!  
...? Shuu...chan?]

They walked into the room and stared at the empty bed.  
All that remained were the warmth and creases from where he once laid.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH: CHAPTER 11 - START]**

**[FLASHBACK START]**

Yoshiki  
[*loudly* Shinozaki!]

Ayumi  
[! Y-yes?]

Yoshiki  
[Would you like to go on a date with me?]

Ayumi dropped her broom.

Ayumi  
[Sure.]

**[FLASHBACK END]**

Yoshiki  
[...! *blush*  
How did I even manage to pop that question..?]

Yoshiki was in disbelief at what happened yesterday.  
He remembered they were both awkwardly silent after that.  
They couldn't speak another word until they finished their duty  
They then said their quiet goodbyes and left the room.  
Yoshiki remembered bumping against the pillar below his apartment on his way home.  
The pain reminded him that it wasn't a dream and he left her a text to say he would pick her up today.  
Yoshiki checked himself in the mirror.  
He hoped he didn't overdo it by swiping his fringe to the side.  
Black and white striped tee and a pair of khaki berms.

Yoshiki  
[Hmm... Is this a little too casual?  
...! What am I even worried for?  
Just be myself! Besides, it's just a date, that's all!  
...Oh god it's a date.  
Come on, Kishinuma Yoshiki, no use getting all nervous!  
It's not going to help!  
Oh gosh I'm talking to myself out loud.]

Yoshiki then spotted the occult book that he had bought while he was investigating about Heavenly Host Elementary School.  
His nervous look dissipated and a grave and worried look formed.

Yoshiki  
_I need to talk to her about it...  
Even if not today, someday soon...  
I'll need... To convince her to give up._

And he knew that giving up was not something Shinozaki Ayumi could do well in.

* * *

Ayumi stared at the painting she completed a week ago.  
It was one of the most detailed painting she had done.  
She remembered the number of times he almost caught her looking while she was studying his face.  
She recalled the time he had teared when he saw her painting of Ms Yui, and how he said it was beautiful.

Ayumi  
[... *softly* Maybe the beautiful one was you...  
! *shakes head* Just what am I saying?]

Ayumi put the painting aside and looked at herself in the mirror.  
She had let her hair down and wore a blue overall.

Ayumi  
[I hope I don't look too childish...]

Ayumi had a hard time choosing what to wear.  
She wanted to impress, but not too much in case he might think she was actually interested.  
She put on minimal makeup to cover up her flaws and gave herself a little blush.  
She decided not to put on the lip gloss.  
She read somewhere that a girl wearing lip gloss may hint to a guy that she wanted to kiss.  
She definitely don't want that misunderstanding.  
She blushed at the thought of that.  
She believed the heart racing and the blushing were all the result from the word 'date'.  
Had he asked differently, like, 'wanna hang out', she was sure she wouldn't have felt this way.  
Yet she woke up early to prepare for the 'date'.

Ayumi  
_Well, maybe, just maybe...  
He might be interested in me.  
*blush* I better make sure we don't have any misunderstanding.  
He's got to know that I don't like him that way, right?  
...or maybe I'll just keep things simple like this.  
Too much a hassle to deal with rejecting someone, right?  
That's right, I'm sure it'd be fine._

The doorbell rang and interrupted her chain of thoughts.  
She grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs.

Hinoe  
[Who could that be..?]

Ayumi  
[Wait, Hinoe-sis, it's for me!]

Hinoe  
[Hmm?]

Ayumi opened the door and saw a fresh looking young man before her.

Yoshiki  
[Y-yo.]

Ayumi  
[I'm going off Hinoe-sis!]

Ayumi quickly shut the door before Hinoe could see who was at the door.

Ayumi  
[Phew...]

Yoshiki  
[Hmm?]

Ayumi  
[N-nothing!]

Yoshiki  
[Well, all right... Shall we?]

* * *

It was already three in the noon and Yuka made no move to leave her room.  
Mrs Mochida remembered calling out to Yuka when she left her room for the bathroom.  
She made no reply and by the time Mrs Mochida reached the second floor, Yuka was back in her room.  
Even when Satoshi was leaving the house in the morning, Yuka didn't rush down like how she usually would.  
She didn't cling onto Satoshi the way she usually would and didn't cheerfully wave goodbye to Satoshi.  
Mrs Mochida tried announcing that Satoshi was leaving, still there was no movement.  
Satoshi wondered what happened and found themselves in a discussion that bore no fruit.  
Even during lunch, Mrs Mochida tried to call for Yuka to come down to eat but she didn't reply.  
Mrs Mochida ultimately left her meal outside her door, hoping she would eat.  
After two hours, Mrs Mochida went up and found Yuka's plate to be empty.  
At least she ate, but it was still worrying.  
Yuka had always ran into her mother's embrace whenever she met up with some issues in life.  
She would cry in her arms and whine about the situation to her mother.  
Then Mrs Mochida would stroke her hair and tell her it would all be all right.  
After a good fifteen minutes or so, Yuka would perk up and smile brightly again.  
She would hug her mother and thank her for being the greatest mum.  
Mrs Mochida was worried. Yuka has never behaved like this before.  
It was the first time she was so quiet.  
Mrs Mochida had no idea what she should do, but decided she couldn't leave things the way it was.  
She prepared a glass of honey drink and brought it up to the second floor.  
After a slight hesitation, she gently knocked on the door.

Mrs Mochida  
[Yuka, I brought you some honey drink.  
*pause* I'm coming in, all right?]

Mrs Mochida tried for the door and thankfully it was unlocked.  
She gently turned the knob and pushed the door ajar, enough to poke her head in.

Mrs Mochida  
[Yuka?]

She called and saw that she was curled up under the blanket on her bed.  
Mrs Mochida walked in quietly and closed the door behind her.  
She carefully approached Yuka after she placed the drink on the table.  
She hesitantly stroke her hair and whispered gently.

Mrs Mochida  
[What's wrong?]

Yuka  
[...]

Mrs Mochida  
[...Yuka, what's wrong?  
Even Satoshi was worried when you didn't come down-]

She noticed her daughter had twitched at her son's name.

Mrs Mochida  
[...Is it Satoshi?  
What happened? Did you have a fight?]

Yuka made no move to reply her mother.

Mrs Mochida  
[Well, Satoshi's a growing boy...  
Ah! *teasingly* Or are you jealous that your dearest brother's got a girlfriend?]

Yuka jerked at that comment.

Mrs Mochida  
[Ara? So it's really because of Satoshi?  
Well, one day Yuka's get her own-]

Yuka  
[You won't understand.]

Mrs Mochida  
[I understand how you feel, Yuka. In fact when I was young, I had a cousin Yuuki whom I adored-]

Yuka  
[You won't understand-]

Mrs Mochida  
[You'll get over it fast! Besides, Naomi seem like a nice girl-]

Yuka  
[I LOVE BROTHER MORE THAN HER!]

Mrs Mochida  
[*taken aback* W-well, I'm sure you love Satoshi-]

Yuka sat up straight and faced her mother.  
Her eyes wide open and teary.  
Mrs Mochida could only stare into her eyes that was filled with sadness, one she had never seen before.  
There was something mature, depressed and forbidden about her tears.

Yuka  
[I love brother, don't you understand?]

Mrs Mochida  
[...I-I... Yuka!]

Realizing what she had done, Yuka ran off and out of her room, out of her house before her mother could question any further.

Mrs Mochida  
_It can't be..!  
Yuka...had those feelings for Satoshi..?  
Oh god..._

Yuka ran in both embarrassment and frustration about her own incestous feelings for Satoshi.  
She wondered how she was going back to that home, how she was going to face her mother, or even Satoshi.

Yuka  
_How could I have done that?  
Mummy must be ashamed of me..!_

Yuka  
[Kyaa!]

Yuka tripped over and fell onto the ground  
Her palms and knees were scraped and the blood starting flowing.  
The pain started to build up slowly as she lost the strength to push herself up.

Yuka  
[Why...Damn it! *cries*  
Waaaaaaaah!]

She cried, not just because her physical wounds hurt, but because she was deeply hurt inside.  
An unrequited love. A forbidden love. A secret she musn't reveal.  
At that moment, Yuka cried like any other girl who had a broken heart.  
At the moment, she was just like any other girl.

?  
[H-hey... A-are you okay?]

Yuka looked up and saw a young boy staring back at her, his face fearful.  
She realized he had offered a hand to help her up and she took it.

Yuka  
[... *sniff* Thank you...*sniff* Ah, ouch!]

?  
[Ah, are you okay?  
...Your wound looks pretty bad...  
Hold on!]

The boy reached into his pocket and took out his light blue handkerchief.  
He gave an apologetic look before he gently dab on Yuka's exposed injury on her knee.  
Yuka's face twitched a little and she bit on her lip.

?  
[Ah... It looks bad...  
Let's get you patched up somewhere...  
I live just behind the street, right there, if you don't mind...]

Yuka  
[Ah... *blush* I'm sorry, I shouldn't be troubling you-]

?  
[D-don't say that! Your injury looks bad...  
But it won't take long so, don't worry.  
...*gently* Can you stand?]

Yuka  
[*nod* Yeah...  
...Thank you so much...]

?  
[*smile* No problem!]

Yuka leaned against the boy as he patiently walked her to his house.  
Even though there was no conversation during the walk, Yuka felt strangely calm.  
It didn't take more than thirty steps before they reached a humble looking house with the name plate 'Shinohara' written at the gate.

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 11: END]**

* * *

Author  
Well, hoped you like this chapter.  
I hope I can update soon. :/


	12. Chapter 12

Author  
Well, things are going to be slightly nasty from here. Have fun.

* * *

The two walked around, their hands clasped tight around each other.  
They footsteps felt heavier and their vision became cloudier.  
Morishige felt tired carrying the weight of darkness behind him.  
He felt like both Mayu and him were slowly affected by the darkening.  
There were moments where he found himself laughing out loud and moments where Mayu would randomly throw into series of fits.  
They found themselves having to drag themselves forward.

Mayu  
[Shig-bro... It feels heavy, doesn't it?]

Morishige  
[...Let's...just keep moving forward.]

Mayu  
[...]

In their minds, they knew there was nothing they could do, for there was no purpose.  
No purpose in dying, no purpose in living.  
There was nothing they needed to do and nothing they could do.  
For many days they had been floating around the darkness of the school.  
There were so many times they had seen a living soul and felt the urge to kill. They resisted.  
Yet the resistance was of no purpose other than to uphold their own righteousness.  
Righteousness, however, is considered foolishness in Heavenly Host.  
Righteousness is the cause of torture and pain to their souls.  
Meeting Yuki a few days ago had shaken them very badly inside.  
Something about meeting the new Sachiko, and seeing how even the new Sachiko could not resist the dark forces in this realm, had shaken their faith.

?  
[Ara, ara. Look who we've got here.]

Morishige and Mayu stopped at the sound of the voice.  
Morishige felt dizzy as he slowly lifted his head.  
His eyelids were heavy and it was hard to focus on anything.  
The tall and pale face slowly came in focus, and it wasn't hard to recognize the dark haired boy.  
Kizami.  
Morishige felt his skin froze in fear as Mayu held onto one of Morishige's sleeves and pulled him closer.

Mayu  
[That's..!]

Morishige nodded his head and swallowed hard.  
Morishige always knew something about him felt off when he met him for the first time in Heavenly Host Elementary, while they were both alive.  
Something about him felt...dead.  
Yet there was an undeniably hinge of excitement in him as they talked about the corpses.  
It all dawned upon Morishige who Kizami was when he murdered him.  
Morishge looked at Kizami who was smiling so charmingly at them.  
Kizami looked more alive than when he was alive.  
The light around him seemed brighter and he didn't look as transparent as they were.  
Just like Sachiko.  
Then it occured to him.

Morishige  
_...! He must be feeding on the thrill in killing..._  
_That's how they get a stronger presence around here, isn't it?_

?  
[AAAAHHHH!]

The three spirits turned around as they heard a loud thud.  
The dim light slowly revealed a terrified face of a high school boy.

Morishige  
[..! *mutters* That idiot..!]

Kizami  
[*smiles* Well, well... What do we got here?]

Morishige  
[NOOO!]

Kizami's friendly smile took a turn as his smile widened into a dark smile.  
The high school boy screamed and tried to run away, but Kizami was too strong for him.  
Kizami punched a dagger through the boy's left calf as he dropped onto the floor, screaming in pain.  
Mayu's only eye opened wide as she stepped back, breathless and frightened.  
Morishige clenched his fists and felt a trickle of blood from his bitten lip.

Morishige  
[Let...him go.]

Kizami  
[..Hmm? I beg your pardon?  
*light up* That's right! How rude of me!  
*evil smile* You don't wanna miss out from all the fun, right?]

Morishige felt his empty heart skip a beat when Kizami disappeared from before him.  
He saw the boy before him cry as he hugged onto his injured leg, his efforts to stop the blood was futile.  
It seemed to take forever to turn around and focus on what was behind him.  
Her screams jerked him wide awake.

Morishige  
[NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
LET HER GO!]

Morishige flung himself forward, ready to throw a deadly punch at Kizami, but the sadistic killer had swiftly dodged Morishige's seemingly amateurish move.  
Kizami's grip around Mayu had tightened as she began to make soundless screams.  
They quickly turn into chokes as if she had a need to breathe.

Kizami  
[Tsk tsk, tsk tsk.  
That was very dangerous...and rude.  
I mean.. *breaking sound* You do know she can't die again, right?  
Now, I should really punish you, but shall I forgive you?  
GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Morishige  
[I said... Let her GO!]

As Morishige made another attempt to attack, Kizami held Mayu by her neck used her as a shield, stopping Morishige's attack.

Kizami  
[Well, let's play a game, shall we?  
It's been rather boring for me to kill recently...  
It's always so easy, and they've always got the same reaction.  
Don't get me wrong, I still love the look on their faces but...  
Let's just say there's a need in a change of pace.  
So... Why don't you amuse me with this little game?  
You.]

Kizami turned to look at the injured high school boy who was quietly crawling away.  
Startled, the boy began to crawl faster, struggling like a worm that had lost half its body.  
Kizami laughed.

Kizami  
[How futile are your efforts, dear prey.  
*looks at Morishige* The game's called Predator vs. Predator.]

Kizami hands a bloodied hammer to Morishige.  
Morishige felt the cold weight in his hand.

Kizami  
[The rules are simple. The longer you take to kill the boy, the worse my torture on your dear girlfriend.  
Ready? Start!]

Mayu  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!]

Mayu screamed as Kizami started to tug her insides violently.

Highschool Boy  
[Noooo... NOOOOO!  
Please...please! Just let me go!]

Mayu  
[Aaaa- Grr... Don't...give in...to him...  
Shig-broOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAAHHHHH]

Kizami  
[Whoops, I guess I pulled too hard.  
Don't worry, you won't die.]

Morishige  
[...! Mayu...!]

Highschool Boy  
[Please...just let me go...!]

Morishige looked back and forth between his two sides, contemplating what to do, as a dark grey mist started forming around Mayu.

Morishige  
[Ma...yu?]

Kizami  
[Ooooh. Just what I wished.  
*smiles* Looks like you won't have much time.]

The mist got thicker until Mayu could hardly be seen.  
Mayu screamed wild as Kizami pulled at her hanging eyeball, threatening to pull it.  
Admist her screams, another of Mayu's voice rang against her own screams.

Mayu  
[AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!]

Mayu  
_[It hurts... So bad...  
__I wish someone would stop this...]__  
_

Morishige  
_Is that..Mayu's thoughts?  
__..! Mayu...!_

Morishige clenched his fist tightly until his nails dugged into his skin.  
The pain woke him up into the dreaded reality.  
He's got to choose between Mayu and the high school student.

Mayu  
_[Shig-bro... You musn't give up...  
__But it hurts...so bad..!]_

Mayu  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!  
AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!]

Highschool Boy  
[Please... Let me go..]

Mayu  
[AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!]

Mayu  
_[Shig-bro... It hurts..so bad...!  
__St-stop it... Please... Someone...  
__It..it hurts... It bloody hurts...  
__Shit...argh...]_

A trickle of sweat rolled down Morishige as he was frozen.

Kizami  
[..Tsk. Lemme give you a hand then.]

Kizami pulled at her hanging eyeball until the nerve broke and Mayu shrieked.

Morishige  
[MAYUUUUUU!]

Mayu  
[AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!]

Mayu  
[_It...hurts...s-so baaaaaaaaad...  
__Damn it... Shit... It hurts...  
__So, so muuuuch...  
__It...hurts... SO MUCH!_]

Soon, both of Mayu's voice an thoughts overlapped as a red light shone beneath the dark mist.

Mayu  
[Killhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkillhim killhimkillhimkillhimkillhim KILL HIM!]

Kizami  
[GAHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!]

Morishige could not speak. He felt cold.  
He clenched onto the hammer tightly.  
Thoughts ran through his mind like a bullet train.  
He felt the world swirling around him.  
The frantic screams from Mayu was pressuring him.  
The darkness moved towards him in an accelerating speed.

Highschool Boy  
[No...no..! PLEASE!]

Mayu  
[KILL HIM! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA KILL THAT WORTHLESS BRAT!  
KILL HIM AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Morishige  
[I-I don't...]

Mayu  
[Killhimkillhimkillhimkillhimkilkhim KILL HIM!]

Morishige  
[No...]

Kizami  
[Do it.]

Highschool Boy  
[Noooo PLEASE!]

Mayu  
[GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Morishige  
[No...NOOO-]

Mayu  
[KILL HIM!]

Morishige  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!]

Crack. Splat. Snap. Crunch.

Morishige  
[AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!  
AAAAARRRGGHHHHH!]

Drip. Drop. Splat. Splat.

Kizami  
[AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Mayu  
[YES! SMASH HIS BRAINS IN!  
AHAHAHAHAHAHAH HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!]

Crunch. Splat.

Morishige  
[AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!  
*pant* *pant*]

Morishige felt the trickle of blood roll down his cheek.  
He touched it. It was warm. It wasn't his.  
The fresh smell of metal.  
The dark mist that gathered around him disappeared as he glowed gloriously in his new cloak of red light.

Morishige  
[..Hah. Hehe. Hahahahaha.  
Hahahahahahahahahahehehehehehehehe!  
GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
HYAAAAAAA!]

Their sickening laughters echoed throughout the halls alongside with the occasional sound of butchering.  
They were free. No more pain. No more worries.  
All they felt was the joy from killing.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 12: START]**

Natsumi sat by the dining table with her hands over her head.  
She had been thinking that Naomi was getting out of her reach.  
She realized how weak a mother she was and that there was nothing she could do.  
There was a need to get professional help.  
Yet it would be shameful to have the neighbours realize Naomi was...crazy.  
Loony, insane, unstable; Natsumi remember hearing the whispers of their nosy neighbours and it didn't feel good.  
The doorbell rang and Natsumi wearily look up at the door.  
Her eyes slowly widened when she heard the second bell and realize there was indeed someone outside.  
She walked toward the door and looked through the peep hole- Satoshi.  
She opened the door.

Satoshi  
[G-good morning, Mrs Nakashima. I'm, uh, here to pick Naomi. Is she up?]  
Natsumi stared at the slightly embarrassed young boy.

She couldn't comprehend how he could have behaved like a normal boy when Naomi was so unstable.  
She needed to talk to him.

Natsumi  
[Satoshi... Can I speak with you for a while?]

Satoshi  
[Ah... Uhm, sure.]

Natsumi showed Satoshi to the dining table.

Natsumi  
[Coffee?]

Satoshi  
[Ah... Sure.]

Satoshi took a seat and Natsumi returned with two cups of coffee.  
The aroma of coffee beans seem to have a soothing effect on Satoshi as he found himself relaxed before Naomi's mum.  
He took the cup and took a sip.  
The two of them sat in silence for almost five minutes until Natsumi decided to speak up.

Natsumi  
[... *swallow* Naomi...]

Satoshi looked up at Natsumi and realized she had dark circles below her eyes and looked as if she hadn't slept for days.

Natsumi  
[Sh-she's been acting weird lately...  
Her walls... *grab hair* She's pasted photos all over...  
*weary smile* It would have be great if they were just photos... B-but...]

Natsumi clasped her hands tightly together and starting rubbing her fingers against each other.

Natsumi  
[Those photos... There were blackened faces all over...  
It looked so omnimous...  
And Naomi... Naomi she... She would stare at them, talk to herslf and then giggle...  
What am I to do? I-I...  
I have thoughts of bringing her to the psychiatrist...  
I don't think I can handle her alone...]

Natsumi looked into Satoshi's eyes and grabbed hold of his hands.  
Satoshi noticed how tired and scared she looked.

Natsumi  
[There is something very wrong with Naomi, Satoshi...  
Do you know what happened to her?]

Satoshi  
[...Th-that...]

Natsumi  
[Please! You've got to tell me!  
How can I help her without knowing anything?]

Satoshi looked away while Natsumi tightened her grip on Satoshi's hands.  
It seemed he had gather his thoughts as he took in a deep breath and look at Natsumi, his eyes brave and determined.

Satoshi  
[Mrs Nakashima... Something...terrible happened.  
But it is hard to explain.  
Please entrust Naomi to me.  
I will do whatever I can to help her.]

Natsumi stared into the young man's eyes.  
She let go of his hands and sighed.

Natsumi  
[Satoshi... I'm counting on you.]

Satoshi said nothing and smiled.

Natsumi  
_I can only trust in his hopeful smile.  
__It seems like only he can help my baby..._

* * *

Yuu  
[I'm going to apply the antiseptic cream, so it's going to hurt a little, all right?]

Yuka  
[... *nervous* *nod* I got it.]

Yuu  
[Well, here goes.]

Yuu gently patted the antiseptic cream on her fresh wound with a cotton bud.  
Yuka grabbed onto the sofa seat she was seated on as she felt the cream prick her skin.  
Yuu noticed it and stopped for a while, and then continued quickly but gently.

Yuu  
[I'm sorry.. It must hurt.]

Yuka  
[*shake head* Nope, you did real good!  
You were very gentle... Even more gentle than my bro-]

Yuka stopped at the word as she felt her heart being pricked a little.

Yuu  
[*timidly* W-what's wrong?]

Yuka  
[...It's just...  
I had a quarrel... With my elder brother.]

Yuu  
[Ah... I see...]

Yuu silently worked on her wound and carefully covered her wound with a thin layer of antiseptic.  
He then placed a carefully cut gauze and taped it over her knee.

Yuu  
[...There! *smile* You should be fine!]

Yuka  
[Ah... *bow* Thank you...]

Yuu  
[*shake head* It's no big deal.  
...Um..]

Yuka  
[..?]

Yuu  
[ *blush* Umm...Well, I'm not sure why you and your brother quarreled...  
But since I have two younger siblings...  
I'm sure your brother loves you, but maybe the way he cares for you may not be the way you wish for it to be...  
Ah! I'm sorry, how meddlesome of me!]

Yuka  
[Ah... It's not that!  
It's just-]

Yuu  
[...It's just... Sometimes I wish I had an elder sibling...  
Someone whom I can depend on...  
Isn't it great? *smile*]

Yuka  
[...You're right, aren't you? Hehe. *smile*]

Yuu noticed her bittersweet smile, but decided not to probe any further.

Yuu  
[Ah! W-what am I talking about?  
I'm the eldest, so obviously I got to be responsible!  
It's not I could suddenly have an elder sibling, right?  
Ahahahaha!]

Yuu laughed awkwardly as his cheeks redden quickly from embarrassment.  
Yuka stared at him for a while and burst into chuckles.

Yuka  
[Hehehe... Ah! I know!  
I can be your big sister!]

Yuu  
[Eh?]

Yuka  
[Well, you can always look for me and depend on this big sister when you need help!]

Yuu  
[Uh, well... Um...  
*softly* Why does it feel like you'll need more help though..?]

Yuka  
[Hmm? Did you say something?]

Yuu  
[No-nothing...]

Yuka  
[Ah! I haven't got your name! I'm Yuka, you can call me big sister!]

Yuu  
[That's a little...]

Yuka  
[You? I saw the sign outside. Shinohara?]

Yuu  
[Ah, yes. I'm, uh, Shinohara Yuu...]

Yuka  
[*claps* Yuu-chan! I'm going to call you just that!]

Yuu  
[Yuu-chan, huh?]

Yuu smiled.  
The way his little pet name rang in his ears brought warmth to his heart.  
An oddly familiar feeling grew in his heart.

* * *

Yoshiki  
[I-I can't see anything...]

Ayumi  
[I think we're... Here.  
*hesitates* Come on, go on.]

Ayumi hesitated a little before she decided to grab Yoshiki's arm and lead him to his seat.  
Yoshiki felt his heart thump faster at her touch and fumbled his way into the seats with the little light from the screen.  
Ayumi hesitantly held his hand and placed it on his seat.  
She noticed it was sweaty.

Yoshiki  
[A-all right. I got it.]

Yoshiki reluctantly took his seat as he felt Ayumi plop down beside him.  
It was intense to know they were in a dark place so close to each other.  
It was somewhat exciting.

Ayumi  
[I can't wait! This better be good...]

Yoshiki  
[Uh, I sure hope so.]

Yoshiki wanted to catch a romantic movie with Ayumi, but instead she raved about how she had been dying to watch the latest horror release and Yoshiki had no chance in rejecting her.  
He never liked horror, not because they were scary- but they were dumb.  
They never seem realistic to him and the scares were too predictable.  
But ever since they came back, the horror genre had brought him a whole new perspective.  
Horror just reminded him of the bad memories he wished would just go away.  
He couldn't understand how Ayumi could still watch them after what had happened.

Ayumi  
[It's starting!]

Yoshiki  
[All right...]

The movie was about a group of teenagers, spending their holidays at a villa their friend owned.  
They met a friendly couple and got close to them.  
The movie seemed pretty bland at first but thing took a turn when one of their friends got drowned by the lake near their villas.  
Yoshiki saw the drowned corpse and wondered if one really look like that when they are drowned.  
Their next friend died and was found in the forest.  
Her head was smashed in by a huge rock and Yoshiki could immediately tell it was just a puppet.

Yoshiki  
_A real corpse with its brains smashed in don't look like that at all..._

He thought to himself and realize Ayumi had been really quiet the entire time.  
He took a peek.  
Ayumi's eyes were fixed on the screen but he knew she wasn't watching.  
A single tear rolled down her cheek and she made no move to wipe it away.  
That's when Yoshiki knew that she was acting strong by saying she wanted to watch horror.  
She wanted to show she was okay when honestly she was torn apart.  
Yoshiki felt his heart ache and decided he would stop her pain.

Yoshiki  
[*deliberately* YAAAAAWWWWNNNNNS.  
This movie is practically a lullaby.  
What say you we bounce?]

Ayumi looked right by at Yoshiki.  
She wondered if he noticed she cried.  
If he did, she was thankful he didn't probe.  
She smiled.

Ayumi  
[Yeah, let's go.]

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 12: END]**

* * *

Author  
Hope you guys liked this chapter.  
The next chapter's already cookin' and hopefully it would be out by next week.  
Thanks for your continual support.  
All right, stay tune for more and I'll see you guys soon!


	13. Chapter 13

Author  
Things do get worse as the chapters go...  
Don't say I didn't warn you.

* * *

Shishido Yui walked along the empty corridor alone.  
It had been a few hours since she had left Rina and Takuya.  
She felt it wasn't safe for them, but Takuya wouldn't calm down with her around.  
Yui recalled the scene where Rina begged her to leave with tears in her eyes.  
She was reluctant, but she left.

She wondered if it really had been okay for her to leave.  
Maybe it would have been better if she had pretended to leave, and then hide somewhere where they would be within her reach.  
Afterall, the school was dangerous.  
They would have left their spot by now, but Yui wasn't sure where else they would be.  
They could be anywhere.  
Yui decided to turn around and move toward where she left them.

She turned the corner and walked into a narrow and dark corridor.  
She sniffed as she thought she smelt something bad.  
Something like ammonia. Like urine.  
She looked under the dim light and saw a small wet spot before her.  
When she moved closer to the spot, she was very sure it was urine.

Yui  
_Did someone pee actually pee here?_

Yui blocked her nose with her finger from the bad smell, then noticed something dripping from the top.

Yui  
_What..?_

Yui looked up and saw two dark figures.  
Her eyes widened as her sight adjusted to the dark.  
The crotch area on the boy's pants was slightly damp but the dripping was from the girl beside him.  
The water trickled down from beneath her skirt onto the ground.  
The head hang from the tight noose around their necks as if their head may come off if you were to pull them.  
The dead girl's eyes were opened and the balls of her eyes were almost popping out from her sockets.  
Yui recognized them and covered her mouth as she felt the urge to vomit.  
Her tears welled up as she fell onto the ground and began to cry uncontrollably.

She shouldn't have left them.  
It was her fault.  
She left them to the darkening.

Yui  
[Why...Rina...why?  
WHY?]

Her mourning echoed through the corridor like an elegy for the dead.

* * *

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 13: START]**

Satoshi sat awkwardly at the dining table and the silence persisted.  
He felt sorry to have to leave Natsumi when she needed some comforting, but decided it was best for him to meet Naomi now.

Satoshi  
[Can I...see Naomi?]

Natsumi  
[Ah, sure. She's in her room, as usual.]

Satoshi excused himself and climbed up to the second floor where Naomi's room was at.  
He gently knocked on the door.

Satoshi  
[Naomi? It's me.]

After what seemed like ten second, he heard a gentle click and the door was opened.

Naomi  
[W-welcome.]

Satoshi  
[*smile* Sorry to intrude!]

Satoshi entered and was welcomed by the newly decorated wall.  
Smacked right in the center was a photo they had taken on last day of school festival.  
The day they fell into Heavenly Host Elementary.  
The faces of the already deceased were blackened.  
Satoshi stared at the photo as chill ran down his spine.

Naomi  
[I didn't do that, in case you're wondering.]

Satoshi turned around and found Naomi staring at him, expressionless.

Naomi  
[Those photos were taken with my camera...  
They're just as they are... There.]

Naomi showed the photos from the digital screen of her phone.  
As were printed, Ms Yui, May, Morishige and Seiko's faces were blackened like a bad photoshop.

Naomi  
[It's weird, isn't it?]

Naomi laughed sadly as she took hold of the photo frame off her desk.  
It was a photo of Seiko and her with Seiko's face blackened.

Naomi  
[Even this photo that was printed when were were middle schoolers...  
Even in this photo, Seiko's face was erased.  
Isn't this some kind of sick joke?  
Hahaha... They really want us to forget them, don't they?]

Satoshi  
[...]

Naomi  
[*swallow* Hey, Satoshi...  
R-recently... I dreamt of a time I had with Seiko...  
That's when I realize...  
Her face and her voice... I-I could... I could no longer recall them clearly...]

Naomi's tears fell as she stared at their photos all over the wall.

Naomi  
[I can't remember Morishige's features anymore...  
I only remember his glasses and how pale he was.  
Ms Yui don't seem to smile as brightly in my mind anymore...  
And Mayu... I couldn't quite place if her ponytail was on the right or left anymore and Seiko...  
Seiko...]

Naomi fell onto the ground and cried.  
He knelt beside her and embraced her tightly as if she was about to fall off a cliff.  
It felt as though she would fade away if he didn't hold her.

Naomi  
[I feel like I'm going crazy...  
Laughing and talking to myself about a past with them that only I know...  
Satoshi... I-I...]

Satoshi held her as tight as he could until she found it hard to breathe.  
Naomi did not resist it.  
The pain made her remember that she was alive, that whatever happened to her were not her imagination- that Seiko was real.  
She dug herself into Satoshi and cried.

Satoshi held back his tears as he felt the need to be brave.  
He needed to be strong- for the both of them.  
He gently stroked Naomi's hair as he lightened his embraced.  
After a long cry, Naomi seemed to calm down.  
She turned around and leaned against Satoshi chest, realizing how much security his being had given to her.

Naomi  
[Satoshi...]

Satoshi  
[Hmm?]

Naomi  
[...Are you...sure? About me.]

Satoshi  
[...]

Satoshi chose not to reply, but instead pointed at a photo before him.  
It was a picture of Seiko, Naomi and Satoshi.  
They were dressed in their gym attire with a red ribbon on each of their heads with the exception Seiko's face being blackened.  
Naomi was squeezed in the centre, looking flustered and Satoshi smiled cheerily with a victory sign.  
Satoshi tried to imagine Seiko's cheery face.

Satoshi  
[*smile gently* That was taken during Sports Day, wasn't it?  
The red team won victoriously, didn't we?]

Naomi smiled in nostalgia.

Naomi  
[Back then, Seiko teased me so much about you.  
When they were taking a photo of you, Seiko took the opportunity to ask for a group photo.  
Hehehe... She pushed me to you so daringly I remember scolding her so badly after that...  
She just laughed deviously and said I looked like I obviously liked it.  
She was right, I was honestly thankful for that...  
I'd never have the courage to ask for a photo...]

Satoshi  
[Eh?]

Naomi  
[Hmm?]

Satoshi  
[*blush* So you've liked me since then huh?]

Naomi  
[Eh? *blush* Ah, uh, I-I guess...]

Satoshi held her hands tightly and looked into her eyes.  
Naomi felt herself flush with fever with him staring at her.

Satoshi  
[Naomi...]

Naomi  
[Y-yeah?]

Satoshi  
[I'm not giving up on you...  
So don't you give up on us.]

Naomi felt tears welling up in her eyes and a feeling of bliss entered her heart.  
Once again, she felt like she could believe and hope again.  
Seiko did not die for nothing.  
Seiko would have been here smiling at them.  
She smiled.

Naomi  
[All right.]

* * *

Ayumi  
[All right.. Now that we ditched the movie, what are we going to do?]

Yoshiki  
[Oh, wow, I haven't thought of that...]

Ayumi laughed a little from his comment.  
She thought he was just a little cute from being clueless.  
They stood outside the cinema and looked around.  
Yoshiki spotted an ice cream shop.

Yoshiki  
_That's right! A distraction!_

Yoshiki  
[H-how about there?]

He asked and pointed to the ice cream house.  
Ayumi looked over and nodded in agreement.  
They walked across the street and entered the shop with bells ringing.

Waitress  
[Hi, table for two? This way please!]

Yoshiki and Ayumi followed the waitress who were on roller blades and arrived at the corner seat.  
They sat across each other as the waitress placed the menu before them.

Waitress  
[Today we've got the Lovers' Special!  
At this price you get a five scoop sundae like that and a free couple key chain!]

Yoshiki sat up straight immediately and found himself feeling hot.  
Ayumi flushed a little in embarrassment before she commented softly.

Ayumi  
[W-we're just...friends.]

Waitress  
[Oh? ...Ah. I get it.  
*smile* You two are still at that stage huh?  
*nudge Yoshiki* You gotta be brave and just pop the question!]

Ayumi  
[CAN I JUST get, like um, a double scoop cone with cookies and cream and butterscotch?]

Waitress  
[Eh? Oh, right.  
So a double scoop cone with cookies and cream and butterscotch.  
How about you sir?]

Yoshiki  
[Uh, I'll...just get a single scoop double chocolate.]

Waitress  
[All right, coming up!]

The waitress left them energetically.  
When Yoshiki turned back to see, the waitress gave him a 'good-luck' sign.  
He smiled and blushed a little before he cleared his throat and turned back to Ayumi who was looking away.  
He noticed she looked a little embarrassed and annoyed.  
He was suddenly in lost of what to say and found his palms sweating again.  
He nervously grabbed the cup before him and took a sip.

Yoshiki  
[I-it's great they serve ice water here, isn't it?]

Ayumi  
[Huh? Isn't it normal...?]

Yoshiki  
[Ahahahaha you're right, aren't you? Ahahahaha!]

The conversation ended awkwardly and they looked away from each other, both trying to conjure a topic.  
Just before Yoshiki could ask about her family, the waitress returned with their orders.

Waitress  
[Here you go, double scoop cone for the lady, and the single scoop for the cool guy.  
Enjoy!]

She winked at Yoshiki before leaving, irritating Ayumi a little.

Ayumi  
[She sure is friendly, huh...]

Yoshiki  
[Hahahaha and too much of a busybody.]

Ayumi laughed a little at his comment and took a spoon of her ice cream.

Ayumi  
[Wow, the butterscotch flavor is really good...]

Yoshiki  
[Really? Can I try it?]

Ayumi  
[Ah! Um, sure.]

Ayumi took a new spoon from the side and dug a spoon of butterscotch ice cream from a cone.  
She put it before Yoshiki, signalling him to take it, but instead he took straight into his mouth.  
Ayumi was surprised as she watch Yoshiki seriously tasting the flavor.  
She looked to the counter and saw the waitress who served them smiling at her.  
Ayumi felt misunderstood.

Yoshiki  
[Wow, you're right! It's good!]

Ayumi  
[Erm, you're really supposed to take the spoon...]

Yoshiki  
[...Oh. Right. Ahahahahahahahahahaha!]

Yoshiki laughed a little too unnaturally loud as he awkwardly scratched his hair.  
Ayumi could visibly see his ears turning red and found it cute.  
She resisted the urge to smile.

Yoshiki  
[Uh, you, um, wanna try mine?]

Ayumi  
[I think I'm fine.]

It got awkwardly silent again as they feed on their own ice cream.  
Yoshiki scolded himself mentally for looking stupid.  
Ayumi was trying to think of a topic to make it less awkward.

Yoshiki  
[So... It's just you and you sister?]

Ayumi  
[Eh? Well...  
There's our parents but their both really busy and we hardly see them...  
So I guess you can say it's just me and my sister.  
*smile* Sometimes, Hinoe-sis feels like a mother to me...  
You? From what I remember, you live alone.]

Yoshiki felt his body tense a little.  
Ayumi noticed and knew it was a touchy topic for him.

Ayumi  
[You know it's okay to not talk about it-]

Yoshiki  
[Don't worry, I'm fine. *smile sadly*  
If it's Shinozaki, I'm all right...]

Ayumi  
_Eh?_

Ayumi blushed at what Yoshiki said.  
She wondered if he knew exactly what he was saying, or did she hear wrongly.  
Or maybe she heard right but whatever she thought it was, it wasn't.

Yoshiki  
[I have my parents and a younger sister...  
But like what you know, I moved out.  
My dad... *shrug* He basically disowned me.]

Ayumi  
[...Why? What happened?]

Ayumi asked gently, clearly being concerned.  
Yoshiki smiled a little.  
On one hand, he was a little happy that Ayumi was interested in his life, yet on the other hand, it wasn't exactly a happy memory.

Yoshiki  
[Well, my dad...  
He was involved in a business scandal...  
You know, some underhand method and stuff?  
It was well covered up, of course...  
Until one day, I chanced upon some...evidence.]

Ayumi listened quietly and attentively, not noticing her ice cream was melting.  
Yoshiki continued.

Yoshiki  
[Well, so I confronted him about him.  
Told him it wasn't right.  
Told him what he did was gonna cause another family to cry.  
He said there ain't nothing he could do about it.  
If he were to own up, it's our family we're losing.  
We had a big argument.  
It was just wrong, you know?  
He took his chance and said how much I had been a disgrace.  
How I never took my studies seriously and how I was hopeless.  
That I had no say...and how I...have no place in his home.  
*bitter laugh* Silly isn't it?  
Maybe it's this teenage spunk in me, I couldn't let it go.  
It got so bad he eventually decided he didn't need a useless son like me.  
I was rebellious and I did exactly what he wanted.  
I left. For good.]

Ayumi was silenced by his willingness to share his life.  
She couldn't find any words to speak, to comfort.  
She thought back to the numerous time she had complaint about her own life and found herself spoiled and silly.  
Her family may not be tight, but at least they don't fall out.  
They may not be lively, but they were living peaceful.

Ayumi  
[I-I...]

Yoshiki  
[You know, Shinozaki...  
I was really glad that day.]

Ayumi  
[?]

Yoshiki  
[Remember that day we met?  
I was just thinking about how schooling had been useless for me.  
I've never been the studious kind, you see.  
It would have been better off for me to quit, go full time, and earn my keeps.  
Then Mikio was dissin' at me, sayin' all those nasty things.  
I was gon' do it. I was gonna hit him and get dismissed.  
Then you came.]

Ayumi was surprised at the revelation.  
She didn't expect that.

Yoshiki  
[You told me off and told me to stick it till the end.  
So I did.  
*smile* It was the first time I felt someone was actually thinking for me.]

Ayumi found herself blushing a little and licked the melted ice cream off the cone.

Ayumi  
[I-it was nothing...]

Yoshiki  
[Sure it was nothing to you, but it meant a lot to me.  
So, I guess... *blush* T-thank you.]

Ayumi

[...*blush*  
*hesitantly* ...Do you feel lonely?]

Yoshiki  
[Eh? Hmm... Well, I'll be lying if I said I wasn't, but it isn't that bad.  
Sometimes Satoshi and Miki would come over for a visit.]

Ayumi felt her heart beat louder upon hearing the girl's name.

Ayumi  
[M-Miki?]

Yoshiki  
[That's right. We were close since we were kids.  
She'd bring food over and check on me.]

Ayumi felt her heart sink.

Yoshiki  
[Ah~ That little sister of mine sure is growing up fast...]

Ayumi  
[Eh?]

Yoshiki  
[Hmm?]

Ayumi  
[Y-your sister... Ah, I-I see..]

Ayumi felt relieve.  
Yoshiki took a sip of water after he finished his cone.

Yoshiki  
[So... How's things with Satoshi?]

Ayumi  
[...I'm all right, of course.  
*smirk* Who do you think I am?]

Yoshiki  
[*smile* That's right. You're Shinozaki Ayumi, of course you're all right.]  
The way he said her name rang in her ears.

She felt especially shy and couldn't understand why.  
She crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her head proudly hoping to cover her blush.

Ayumi  
[Oh! That's right! *brightly*]

Ayumi clasped her hand together as she looked at Yoshiki excitedly.

Ayumi  
[I found another way that could possibly help us speak to Naho!  
Heard of 'out-of-body' experience?]

Yoshiki felt his heart thumping louder and clearer as she spoke.  
It wasn't the same feeling he had before, of excitement and enjoyment, but it was of nervousness and anxiety.  
He grabbed onto his pants beneath the table.  
He had to do it.  
He needed to tell her.

Ayumi  
[Well, I read about it and found out it this out of body experience allows your spirit to travel into another dimension.  
It just really takes some scented candles and long hours of meditation, but it's doable.  
Of course, it probably has some form of danger but-]

Yoshiki  
[...We should stop.]

Ayumi  
[Eh? Sorry? I couldn't catch that...]

Ayumi looked into Yoshiki's eyes and noticed his knitted eyebrows.  
She realized how grave he looked and she knew he meant something serious.  
Ayumi wondered what it could have been to worry him so much.

Yoshiki  
[Shinozaki...]

Beat.

Yoshiki  
[I think it's best we stop.]

Nothing went through Ayumi's mind.

Ayumi  
[Eh? What are you talking about?]

As soon as she said it, she knew exactly what he was talking about.  
Ayumi felt a surge of anger started pushing its way out.  
She clenched her fist.

Yoshiki  
[We both know it's too...dangerous.  
We don't know what might happen if we try to deal with the other world again...  
The last time we did something, we went...there.  
Lives were sacrificed and it wasn't easy coming back.  
We...]

Ayumi stared at Yoshiki in disbelief, feeling like she was betrayed.  
She couldn't stop.  
She could not afford to give up right now.

Yoshiki  
[...Shouldn't let their sacrifices go to waste.  
If something were to happen because we were trying to bring that back, they wouldn't be happy.  
Or at least...Ms Yui wouldn't.]

That was it.  
Ayumi felt tears at the back of her eyes and could almost swear her eyes were red.  
She wasn't sure if it was the thought of Ms Yui and the rest being dead and gone forever, or the thought of Yoshiki's betrayal, but she held back her tears.

Yoshiki  
[And... *hesitates*  
I promise Ms Yui I'll take good care of you-]

Ayumi  
[I'm not a child. I don't need you to take care of me.]

Yoshiki  
[That's not what I mean, I'm worried-]

Ayumi  
[You're the worst.]

Ayumi glared at Yoshiki, biting her lower lip to try and calm herself down.  
Yoshiki saw that her eyes were moist, and her breathing hastened.

Ayumi  
[You're the worst!]

Ayumi shouted, turned around and ran.

Yoshiki  
[Wait!]

Yoshiki grabbed hold of her hand but Ayumi pulled it away from his grip and ran.  
She couldn't hold back her tears anymore as pushed aside the people who were in her way.  
She could no longer hear their insults and swears.  
All that filled her mind were thought of Yoshiki's betrayal.  
It was too much for her to bear.  
The day seemed great and promised her of a friend whom she could trust.  
Then the betrayal came. It was painful.

Ayumi  
_It's my fault to have trusted him...  
__It's my fault to have hoped and believed he could understand...  
__How silly... I even thought he might like-  
__Idiot, idiot, idiot!_

She ran without a care in the world.  
She could hear her phone ringing and she knew it must have been Yoshiki.  
She reached into her pocket and switched the phone off.

It seemed like more than fifteen minutes of running before she noticed how near she was to her home.  
She calmed herself down and started pacing her walk.  
Ayumi wiped her tears and gently patted on both cheeks.

Ayumi  
_Come on, Shinozaki Ayumi!  
__You mustn't be a weakling!  
__You can't give up now..._

Ayumi felt her heart sank as she realized how alone she was.  
A dark object swift passed her and stopped right at her doorsteps.

Ayumi  
_Whoa... What a car...  
__Hmm? Why's it stopped outside my house?  
__...? Hmm?  
__Eh? Hinoe-sis?_

Ayumi watched as a guy well dressed in suit, seemingly the chauffeur, helped Hinoe alight from the car.  
As the chauffeur returned to the driver's seat, the window before Hinoe wind down as she bent to speak to her client.  
Ayumi watched them converse and tried peeking through the glass window.  
Ayumi froze and felt all the energy left in her dry up.  
It couldn't be.  
She must be dreaming.  
The figure in the car gave a little wave to Hinoe before she looked back and her eyes met Ayumi's.  
The girl turned back and the car drove away.  
All of Ayumi's blood was frozen.

Ayumi  
[*disbelief* N-Na...ho?]

**[THE AFTERMATH - CHAPTER 13: END]**

* * *

Author  
About seven more chapters before we end.  
Just in case- I think most of us know that involuntary urination kinda happens when people hang.  
But I think most don't know that it is usually more so for the women.  
This is reference to the hanging of Rina and Takuya.  
In case you didn't get it, they both committed suicide after being swallowed by the darkening.  
So anyway, see you guys next time.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author**  
For those who read chapter 13, please take note:  
I uploaded the draft version.  
There's a slight minor change in the scene for Ayumi and Yoshiki.  
Please do read and enjoy the short treat. ^-^  
Oh right, to Anonymous Guest: I haven't played Book of Shadows but I did watch the trailer.  
That was where I saw the photos with blackened faces. Guess I should have mentioned/credited it...  
With that said, brace yourself for chapter 14.

* * *

Seiko  
[Shuu-chan~ We're back!]

They walked into the room and stared at the empty bed.

Seiko  
[...? Shuu...chan?]

Kurosaki walked toward the bed and found it warm to touch.

Kurosaki  
[The bed's still warm. He must have just left...]

Seiko  
[Shuu-chan? Shuu-chan?]

She called out as if Shuuya would pop out from somewhere like in game of hide and seek.  
Kurosaki could sense the anxiety in her as she started raising the pitch of her voice.

Shuuya  
[Yeah?]

Seiko turned around and found Shuuya with crutches at entrance of the infirmary.  
She sighed in relief.

Seiko  
[Phew... You got me worried for a while!  
Where did you get those from..?  
Hmm? What is it?]

Shuuya looked nervously at Seiko and then turned around.  
It was then Kurosaki and Seiko realized there was someone behind him.  
Shuuya seemingly spoke to the person behind before he turned back and faced Seiko and Kurosaki.

Shuuya  
[Umm, I'm sorry for heading out without your permission...  
But I heard someone crying in the corridor and so I went out.  
It was scary for me and when I first saw her, I panicked.  
But she's really nice. Just lonely...  
Please don't be alarmed...  
*gently* Come on...]

The girl who hid behind him came out timidly.  
Kurosaki and Seiko noticed she was different.  
She did not emit any red or blue light.  
Instead, her spirit looked no different from a human except for her hollow left eye.

?  
[H-hi, big brother, big sister...]

Something about her felt wrong despite the innocent look her two ponytails gave.  
Her only eye took peeks beneath her bangs as she nervously rubbed her hands together.  
Her plain dress was dyed in an omnimous color of blood-soaked red.  
Seiko did not know why but the girl felt alarming to her.  
Kurosaki smiled and offered a handshake.  
The girl did not take it.

Kurosaki  
[*gently* What's your name, little girl?]

The girl revealed a shy and tiny smile as she quietly answered.

?  
[I'm Sachiko.]

Seiko  
_...Sachiko? Wait a minute...  
__I've heard that name somewhere..._

Kurosaki  
[Sachiko, huh? I'm Kurosaki!  
You can be sure to call me big brother Kurosaki!]

Sachiko giggled.

Sachiko  
[You sure are an energetic person.]

Shuu  
[*excitedly* He is, isn't he?  
And this... This is big sister Sei-]

Sachiko  
[Hey, hey, Shuu-chan.  
I wanna play~]

Shuu  
[Eh? Uh, um, sure.  
Why not?  
What do you wanna play?]

Sachiko grabbed hold of both of Shuu's hands as he dropped both his crutches.  
She turned her head and looked directly at Seiko.  
She smiled.  
There it was, the overwhelming and wicked aura.  
Seiko and Kurosaki froze momentarily, unable to move as they watched Sachiko twirl the injured boy around.

Sachiko  
[Let's play merry-go-round~]

Shuu  
[I-it hurts! Stop, Sachiko! It hurts!]

Ignoring his cries, Sachiko continued twirling Shuu around.  
That was when they saw the undeniable bloodlust in her crooked smile.  
Shuu felt his limbs tearing apart from the pain as his tears pour out uncontrollably.  
It seemed to Seiko everything around her was moving in slow motion.  
The sound of Shuu's screams, Kurosaki's shout and Sachiko's wild laughter were slow playbacks.  
She watched herself and Kurosaki ran toward Shuu in slow motion, reaching out to him.  
Seiko felt her heart sank as she watched Shuu's painful expression.  
As she watched, she recalled the picture of the gruesome mix of human flesh on the wall that Naomi and her encounter.  
It was as if it was premonition- she knew Sachiko was going to flung Shuu against the wall.

Seiko  
[No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOO!]

Seiko screamed but the slow motion stopped and they realized Shuu did not hit the wall.  
Someone had caught him.  
Shuu cried, in the arms of his savior.

Sachiko  
[...It's you.]

The newly appointed Sachiko stared at the dead-fish eyes of Shuu's savior.  
The heroine pushed back her glasses as she smiled at Sachiko with ease.

?  
[I wouldn't mess with me if I were you.]

Sachiko  
[...]

The girl in red stared with hatred that burnt silently as she slowly disappeared into the darkness behind her.  
Seiko found herself almost breaking out in sweat as Kurosaki wondered who Shuu's savior was.  
As relief washed over Shuu, he found his tears pour out like opened floodgates.  
Seiko pulled him into her arms as he dived into her bosoms and cry, reminiscing the comfort his own mother used to bring.  
Kurosaki moved toward the new stranger and bowed in gratefulness.

Kurosaki  
[Thank you so much!]

?  
[No problem.]

Kurosaki  
_Woah... Her eyes... Are as grey as dead fish..._

Kurosaki stretched out his right hand, ready to introduce himself until he was interrupted.

Seiko  
[Wait, Kurosaki.  
We don't know who she is...  
For all we know, she might just be like Sachiko.]

Kurosaki  
[But...]

?  
[It's okay, I understand.  
I would wary if I were in her shoes.  
I'll be going then.]

As she turned to take her leave, Seiko blurted after much hesitation.

Seiko  
[W-wait! I mean, you could be good like us too...  
I only meant we should know who you are, if you don't mind?]

Kurosaki  
[The boy you just saved- he's Shuuya. We call him Shuu-chan.  
This is Shinohara and I'm Kurosaki.  
And you are...?]

Naho  
[*pause* ...Naho.  
Saenoki Naho.]

* * *

It had been an hour since Ayumi ran away from him.  
He tried calling her on the cell phone and it rang through once, twice and thrice.  
She never picked up.  
On his forth attempt, she switched off her phone.  
He pushed the button on the arcade machine hard to vent his anger.

Yoshiki  
[Dammit..  
Why did it turn out like that?]

It was all going well but she just had to talk about Heavenly Host.  
He could have just listened on, but he knew he had to stop her.  
He deserved it.  
He deserved the cold shoulders because he broke her trust.  
The trust that was not easily built.  
Yoshiki stood up from the arcade machine and away dejectedly.  
His head held low and he was unable to see the approaching group of people.  
Yoshiki felt his hard bump hard into someone's arms.

Teenage Hooligan  
[What the fuck man! Watch where you're going!]

Yoshiki could not hear him and continued walking forward without apologizing.  
The group of three teenagers signalled each other and followed Yoshiki out of the arcade.  
As Yoshiki was about to walk pass and alley, the trio pushed him into the alley till they hit Yoshiki to the wall at the end of the alley.  
One of the trios, seemingly the leader, held him by the collar of his top and spoke threateningly.

Teenage Hooligan  
[Dude, watch where ya goin'. Did ya mum not teach you to apologize when you do something wrong?]

Yoshiki  
[...*softly* Screw off.]

Teenage Hooligan  
[...! You fucker..!]

A punch landed across his cheek and Yoshiki fell on the ground.  
He tasted blood from the inside of his mouth, but felt no pain.  
They kicked at him mercilessly, but Yoshiki remained still, taking in all the blows like a punchbag.  
His stillness infuriated the leader among the trio.  
He bent over and pulled him in by his collar.  
Their eyes met and the leader knew it was pointless hitting him.  
He was still breathing, but his eyes, they were dead.

Teenage Hooligan  
[...Dammit! *kick* Let's go!]

After they left, Yoshiki laid flat on the ground, looking at the dark clouds above him as he felt raindrops on his face.

Yoshiki  
[...Ouch.]

He felt the pain from their hits and realized he must be bleeding pretty badly around his head.  
His right eye felt heavy and swollen and he had difficulty keeping it open.  
He gave himself a pitiable laugh as the rain fell onto him like a depressing movie scene.

Yoshiki  
_For making her cry... Guess I deserved it._

* * *

Yuka  
[Mummy, do you think this is cooked?]

Mrs Mochida walked toward Yuka and peered into frying pan.  
The kaarage chicken was golden brown and looked ready to eat.

Mrs Mochida  
[Un, it's done! Be careful when you take it out all right?]

Yuka  
[Okey-doke!]

Mrs Mochida wonder if it was okay to talk to Yuka about it.  
She had been worried ever since that day she found out about Yuka's incestous feelings for Satoshi.  
She was lost.  
She had always seen them as a great pair of siblings.  
Their closeness had always made her proud as their mother.  
She had never expected anything like this in her family, but Miho could understand how her daught felt.

**[FLASHBACK]**

Yuuki  
[Miho... *gently* You've got to stop this...]

Miho  
[Eh?]

Yuuki took another sip of coffee as Miho watched him nervously in the quiet cafe.  
He calmly looked into Miho's eyes.  
Miho realized just how serious Yuuki was.  
Yet as he spoke, she saw the gentleness she loved in him.

Yuuki  
[Miho... You know I love you, and I always will...  
You will always be my dearest Miho...  
But I'm just going to be your beloved cousin.]

Every pulse in Miho froze.  
Her tears were so close to fall, but she held them back.  
Miho forced a smile, hoping he would not realize, but she knew how the gentle and caring Yuuki could see through her front.

Miho  
[Ehehehe, of course! I'm your one and only favorite Miho!  
...It's Mitsuka, isn't it?]

Yuuki shook his head and smiled sadly.

Yuuki  
[Mitsuka she... Didn't say anything about it.  
She adores you, Miho.  
...But I can tell.  
Any wife would not like it when their husbands are acting way too close to another girl...  
Not even if she's a relative...  
Besides... She knows how much you loved me.  
I told her I was going to talk to you today and she...  
Said to be gentle to you.]

Miho could not contain her tears anymore as it streamed down her cheeks.  
Yuuki moved toward Miho and touched her cheeks.  
He wiped her tears away as she felt the fatherly warm from his hands.

Yuuki  
[Now, now, Miho. Tears don't suit you at all.]

Miho  
[Y-you're right...]

Yuuki  
[Hiro's a good guy, Miho.]

Miho grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.  
Hiro was a university classmate who had been chasing her for two years now.  
He knew about her love for her cousin, yet he was not disgusted andnsaid that he would wait patiently for her.  
She appreciated that, but she still could not reciprocate his feelings.  
She knew she had to let go of Yuuki before any new love could enter her life.

Miho  
[I-I know...]

Yuuki  
[Don't let him wait too long all right?]

Yuuki put his large hand on Miho's head and messed up her hair.  
Miho made a fuss, but silently enjoyed this brotherly move.  
Miho smiled to herself.  
Her heart hurts, but she knew she had to move on.  
She grabbed onto her pants and stood up.

Miho  
[It's late already, I better get going...]

Yuuki  
[Oh, you're right. Let me send you-]

Miho  
[It's all right! I can go back myself...]

Yuuki looked at her understandingly and smiled.

Yuuki  
[All right, see you then, Miho.]

Miho gather the last strength she had and smiled.  
She had hope he would remember this carefree smile.  
She hoped that he wouldn't feel bad about this.  
She hoped he would see the strong woman she was.

Miho  
[*smile* Un! See ya!]

Miho turned and began to walk out when Yuuki cried out.

Yuuki  
[Oh right! Miho, Mitsuka's pregnant!]

Miho turned to see that bright smile that was drowning in happiness.  
She loved him.

Miho  
[Congratulations!]

Miho left the cafe and turned to walk toward the train station when she saw the familiar figure waiting in the park near the cafe.

Hiro  
[Hey... *smile* How did it go?]

All at once, the mixed feelings of a heartbroken girl and thankfulness towards Hiro's presence made Miho cry.  
She dropped into Hiro's arms and cried while the worried Hiro fumbled.

**[FLASHBACK ENDS]**

Miho remembered how thankful she was to Mochida Hiro.  
Eventually she learnt to fully let go of Yuuki, and Hiro stepped into her life.  
She fell deep in love with the patient and loving Hiro.  
Two years later, they got married and built a happy family with Satoshi and Yuka.

Miho  
_I'm sure Yuka has to learn how to let go of Satoshi...  
__I could help her..._

Miho  
[Hey Yuka, could I ask you something?]

Yuka  
[Eh? Yeah, sure!]

Miho  
[*hesitate* Yuka... About Satoshi...]

Yuka  
[Hmm? What's with the serious expression?]

Miho  
[The other day...]

Yuka  
[Oh! That. I was only kidding mum!  
Hehehe I got you good didn't I?]

Miho  
[Eh?]

The doorbell rang just as Yuka finished taking out the kaarage chicken pieces.

Yuka  
[Lemme geddit!]

Yuka put down the plate of kaarage chicken and hurried to the door.

Yuka  
[Oh hi!]

Miho watched as Satoshi and Naomi entered through the door.  
She observed Yuka and saw that she was smiling brightly at Naomi as if nothing affected her.

Yuka  
[Naomi, I just made some kaarage! You're for a delicious meal!]

Naomi  
[E-eh? *smile* Sounds great!]

Yuka  
[Right? Right? Hehehehe!]

Miho watched her daughter speak to Naomi happily and wondered if she might have worried too much.  
Perhaps it was really just a prank from Yuka.  
Or maybe it was real... But Yuka had managed to deal with her feelings herself.  
Miho found herself sighing in relief.  
She smiled and continued preparing lunch.

Miho  
[That's right! You guys are in for a scrumptious meal!]

* * *

Ayumi watched as a guy well dressed in suit, seemingly the chaffeur, helped Hinoe alight from the car.  
As the chaffeur returned to the driver's seat, the window before Hinoe wind down as she bent to speak to her client.  
Ayumi watched them converse and tried peeking through the glass window.  
Ayumi froze and felt all the energy left in her dry up.  
It couldn't be.  
She must be dreaming.  
The figure in the car gave a little wave to Hinoe before she looked back and her eyes met Ayumi's.  
The girl turned back and the car drove away.  
All of Ayumi's blood was frozen.

Ayumi  
[Na-Naho?!]

Ayumi rushed into her house after the car drove away.  
She felt a sense of urgency and disbelief as her heart beat faster.

Ayumi  
[Hinoe-sis!]

Hinoe  
[Hmm? Oh, welcome home Ayu-]

Ayumi  
[Was that Saenoki Naho in the car?]

Hinoe  
[Eh? Ayumi, you know I can't divulge-]

Ayumi  
[I saw you talking to her!]

Hinoe  
[*sigh* Yes, it is her...  
I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it despite knowing how much a fan you were...  
A-Ayumi?]

Ayumi felt her heart beating faster as a ray of hope rose in her heart.  
She rushed up into her room and and shut the door behind her.

Ayumi  
_Oh my god, she's alive!  
__Naho is alive!  
__Then there might be a way to bring them back..!_

Ayumi found herself smiling in excitement as she grabbed her phone.  
She instinctively searched for Yoshiki's name and her thumb moved to press the call button.  
She stopped just before her thumb landed.

Ayumi  
_I... Couldn't possibly call him...  
__Not now... Not after what happened...__  
_

Ayumi scrolled through her contact list and her eyes fixed on another name.  
She dialed and put the phone to her ear.  
Ring, ring.  
Heart beat.

?  
[Hello?]

Ayumi  
[H-hello, Nakashima? It's me, Shinozaki.]

* * *

**Author**  
Sorry for the late update!  
Been really busy... :/  
In case you guys are confused- Miho is Mrs Mochida, Yuuki is the fictional cousin of Miho, and Hiro is Satoshi and Yuka's current father.  
Do read up chapter 13 again if you haven't!  
I hope to update soon.  
See ya!


End file.
